I was born in Burundi located in East Africa but also grew up in Buffalo, New York as well. Throughout my life, I was mostly surrounded by a diverse population which gave me the opportunity to learn more about others and their ways of living. My family and I are open minded but we do have convictions. 

I would consider myself both liberal and conservative if that makes sense. As open-minded as my family is, we combine both modern and traditional values but lean more towards modernism. 

I am the oldest of 6 and currently reside with family. I have 4 brothers and one little sister. My family and I have been living in this country ever since I was 11 years old. We came here in search of a better life Alhamdulillah and are now citizens. Before that, my parents had lived in Rwanda and Congo as well. We speak Swahili, Kirundi and English. 

I and those who know me well would describe me as Empathetic, family-orientated, ambivert, down to earth, nurturing, open-minded, kind, adventurous, a deep thinker, compassionate, curious, calm and collected. I don't like taking myself too seriously all the time (at least I try not to). I like having a balance of being fun and playful (humorous) but serious when I need to be. I would say that I’m both extroverted and introverted because sometimes I do feel a need to socialize with people and other times where I just want to stay in and read, nap, watch T.V, and/or cook. 


Usually when you meet me at first, you’ll notice that I can be a bit reserved since it usually takes me a little bit more time to warm up but as time goes on, you’ll notice that I enjoy socializing with people. However, I do like to keep my circle small since I value making deep connections but unfortunately it’s at least almost impossible to develop deep connections with so many people/everyone.

My hobbies include: hiking (enjoy nature), watching T.V, going out to restaurants with family and friends, staying active, visiting museums/art galleries, movie theaters, biking (when the weather is nice), and reading. I also enjoy learning/reading about human behavior/psychology, cognition, religion, culture, self-help books, etc. I really like research. Maybe I’ll do more of that in the future In’sha’Allah. I just like the idea of advanced knowledge and findings through research. 

For employment, I do Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counseling and Group Therapy at a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic which is for clients with co-occurring disorders and I also work as a Home Health Aide on the side which involves working with people who have disabilities (part-time).