My childhood was marked by resilience, perseverance, and determination after my father's death—hungrier stomachs, wearing ten-year-old clothes, and sleeping on a bare floor—what I now call a "zero-dollar" life. A life defined by what we didn't have. Education was not something we dreamed of at that time; it was survival. I wholeheartedly thank my mother, who, despite our poverty, hustled to send us to school. It was not an easy thing for a widowed mother earning less than $1 a day, but she did it—and she won. Our happiest moment came in 2015 when we heard that my older brother Paulin had been selected for the Mandela Washington Fellowship. I watched him work sleepless nights to change our lives, which motivated me to become someone who builds too. The Isomo Program will impact many generations in Rwanda and across Africa by teaching underserved, out-of-school children English—children for whom education has become a privilege, not a right. My program will equip potential learners with a strong foundation in English, preparing them to attend formal primary schools across Rwanda.