A Whole New Life

David Tabaruka
CCV Burlington

David Tabaruka was 16 when he and his family fled their native Rwanda, in 1994, to escape the genocide that had begun there. Living for nine years in neighboring countries, “we went through four or five wars,” David says. “That was a really hard time.” Yet with his mom’s encouragement, David completed secondary school and earned a college diploma at a French-speaking university in Brazzaville. In 1994 his family was granted refugee status by the U.S., and they came to live in Burlington.

“When I moved to Vermont, I didn’t speak English,” David recalls. “I saw that I needed to go back to college, so I started taking courses at CCV. I took basic reading and writing courses at CCV in Burlington. I was just trying to see how college is in the U.S. and to learn English. The teachers were friendly! They cared very much about how well their students did, and they encouraged me. I was impressed, and I decided to get more involved in the school. In fall 2006 I became full-time, taking four classes.”

“CCV got me involved in the community,” says David. “I made friends, a lot of friends — people who really care about me. That was something I really appreciated about CCV. Now my English is pretty good, and I feel so comfortable that I am transfering to a four-year college. My whole family is now taking courses at CCV.” David is now pursuing a degree in international business at Champlain College.

“CCV isn’t just a community college. It’s much more than that.”

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