At a young age, Olivier Tuyishime ’25 seized the notion that education is the pathway to success, and he has never let that idea go.
In 2012, Olivier Tuyishime ’25, his mother, and his younger brother and sister came to the United States from Rwanda. They didn’t speak English. They didn’t know the culture. Just eight months later, as they were still settling into their new lives, Tuyishime’s 6-year-old sister drowned.
The loss was a turning point for Tuyishime, the eldest child, who was 9 years old at the time.
“Up to that point I got into a lot of discipline issues, struggled academically, and struggled to adjust to the culture,” he says. “(My sister’s death) was the start of me realizing that, if I don’t change and start to mature, things could be bad and get worse. My mom needs me.
“168体育平台下载_足球即时比分-注册|官网 had found a home at First Baptist Church in Indianapolis,” Tuyishime continues. “168体育平台下载_足球即时比分-注册|官网’ve always had people to support us, and we made them our family.”
Tuyishime became more involved at the church, especially through the youth sports programs. There, he met Kip Chase ’03.
“Nicole and I took our boys to participate in flag football and basketball programs at First Baptist Church Athletics,” says Chase. “168体育平台下载_足球即时比分-注册|官网 noticed this high school kid seemed to be there every time we were there. He coached teams and refereed the games he wasn’t coaching. It was impressive to see that type of commitment and maturity. I was so happy when he chose Wabash.”
Choosing a place where academics came first made sense to Tuyishime.
“I have always had the desire to better myself intellectually because that’s how I learn about who I am,” the political science major says. “I leaned into education because it was the clearest path to pursue my future and to make the greatest impact in our country and the world.”
Tuyishime’s career at Wabash began the summer before his freshman year when he participated in the monthlong Wabash Liberal Arts Immersion Program (WLAIP) summer institute.
“When I came here that summer, I was able to open up myself and be vulnerable—that’s when I really saw the beauty of college,” he says. “WLAIP gave me the confidence going into that fall to know I had all the resources and tools to thrive and to be successful.”
What Tuyishime found through his time at Wabash was space to grow and thrive outside the classroom. He is a member of Phi Gamma Delta and the Malcolm X Institute of Black Studies (MXIBS). He spent a summer leading the Panther Youth Summer Sports Camps as an athletic director intern with First Baptist Athletics. He has served as an English tutor for WLAIP, helping incoming freshmen develop the tools and confidence to write their first college papers. He was a mentor for the weeklong Pathway to Your Future program for rising sophomores and juniors in high school to learn about the college application process and tools for success in higher education. And he is a substitute teacher with the Brownsburg Community School Corporation, where he recruited a student to attend Wabash in the fall who wasn’t even sure college was in his future.
Becoming a leader wasn’t necessarily on his mind, but it’s become a huge part of who he is.
“Olivier wasn’t sure exactly how he fit in,” says Kim King ’99, assistant director of the MXIBS and coordinator of the Pathway to Your Future program. “He’s been wonderful as a student and as a mentor.”
As one of seven Orr Fellowship recipients in the Class of 2025, Tuyishime will spend the next two years as a partnership and outreach associate at the Applied Research Institute (ARI). ARI’s mission is to act as a neutral third party in connecting technology innovators with government initiatives.
“The Orr Fellowship is a two-year trial, not only for the fellow but also for the partner company, to see if it’s a match,” Tuyishime explains. “During the semester, I’ve been meeting with my supervisor and getting a feel for what topics I want to learn more about. They do a lot of different research and take on projects with various institutions.”
He plans to live with his family in Brownsburg, Indiana, for the duration of his fellowship. His younger brother, Fabrigace Gisagara, is a rising junior who is attending Pathway to Your Future for the second summer in a row. Tuyishime wants to be close by.
“It gives me more time with him, time to help him go through the college application process and school visits,” he says.
“Looking at the sacrifice that their mom has made to help them get to this point, their success symbolizes a certain amount of victory in the face of that tragedy,” says King. “Olivier is seizing the responsibility of, on the one hand, living out the dream for their mom, and also representing the future for his brother.”