Support Mwajuma's Journey to Seattle University

This GoFundMe is raising funds to cover the remaining cost for Mwajuma to attend Seattle University over the next four years. She has been admitted and awarded the maximum allowable financial aid, along with significant merit scholarships. However, she still faces a funding gap of $20,000 per year in order to attend. She is a student whose incredible story of resilience and growth shines through challenges that most of us could never imagine facing in a lifetime.

Below is Mwajuma’s story of where she came from and why she wants to attend college in her own words.

My green card reads: DOB January 1, 2007, Joselyne Mwajuma, Country of Birth: Burundi. None of this information is correct. My name is Mwajabu Joselyne, and I was born on February 5, 2007, in Kinshasa, Congo.

When I was seven, we fled the war in Congo to Burundi. Our documents listed us as Burundi even though we weren’t, and we had no power to correct them. In my culture, the men choose names. My father died at war, and my mother wasn’t allowed to name me, so a stranger named me Joselyne. Those were the first of many choices made by anyone but me.

We arrived in America as refugees on June 6, 2015. We spoke Swahili, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, and some French, but not a word of English. Arriving in Boise, Idaho at age 8 felt magical; I believed it was somewhere I wouldn’t have to suffer, see people die, or worry about money. Of course, I soon learned this wasn’t entirely true. People still suffer greatly in America. As a black, queer, woman living in Idaho, I still face many struggles here, but my perspective from my early years in Congo helps me push through. Though I still worry about money, I don’t have to worry about my house being bombed or walking to the river and seeing dead bodies flow down the stream.

My education in America has been especially challenging. My first day of 3rd grade, I was very excited to meet my teachers; however, that excitement quickly disappeared. Many teachers yelled at me, believing I was ignoring them when, in fact, I just didn’t speak English. They kept yelling until I learned English. When I entered 7th grade, I’d planned to drop out of high school at age 16 to get a job to support my family. I never told anyone this plan, knowing no one would approve–especially my mom, a disabled single mother of four who gave up her entire life in Congo so we could move here. She didn’t fight for this life for us just to drop out when things got hard, so I pushed myself to keep going.

In 8th grade, I missed 66% of my classes because my mother got sick, and no one else could take care of her. Falling behind in school, my mental health got worse. Talking to a therapist, I learned about a school called One Stone, a unique independent high school in Boise. She believed One Stone would be a perfect fit for me. I applied to One Stone, and the day I was accepted was the happiest day of my life. There, I’ve found a safe place and formed deep connections with people who are like family, and educators who understand me and meet me where I am.

The challenges I’ve faced for as long as I can remember—navigating the trauma my family experienced in the Congo and adjusting to life in America as a refugee, including learning an entirely new language—have made me reflect deeply on myself and others. Without a therapist, I don’t believe I would have made it this far. Therapy helped me develop my values and beliefs, and over the past three years, I’ve worked hard to spread awareness about racism and LGBTQ+ issues, participate in local protests and marches, and be an upstander for those who need support and care. I plan to continue this important work at Seattle University, where I will start in the fall, and beyond. Ultimately, I want to become a therapist not only to help people of all ages feel better mentally, physically, and spiritually, but also because there should be more therapists from diverse backgrounds and more inclusive and empathetic approaches that honor people’s unique cultural, social, and personal backgrounds.

I am Mwajabu Joselyne. My birthday is February 5, 2007. I am from Kinshasa, Congo. And I plan to do whatever I can to help others feel safe and be fully themselves.

Check out this Video of Mwajuma talking about her unique perspective.