Ginette–“I treat everyone like family”

Ginette recently graduated from UCBC’s Agribusiness program. She now works with MAVUNO, a nonprofit that is pioneering a model of grassroots agribusiness development in Congo. As a consultant, Ginetteworks with farmers and trains them in agribusiness practices. Ginette dreams of establishing her own business that will specialize in training Congolese farmers—a shining testament to the impact of UCBC.

Like many UCBC students and alumni, Ginette highlights the close-knit community and how it impacted her studies. She reflects, “at UCBC, we lived like a family. This is what I practice everywhere I go to work with people. I like to [treat everyone]like family.” This is what makes UCBC so special—a commitment to each other and service. Ginette lacked meaningful mentorship prior to attending UCBC but became connected with the Navigator group on campus. The Navigator group focuses on mentoring spiritual growth and cultivates Christ-centered leaders– to embody a spirit of service in any vocation.

Studying at UCBC opened Ginette up to embracing new ways of engaging with others. She states, “before I came to UCBC, I had difficulty living socially. I lived more in solitude,” but while at UCBC, she learned the importance of the social and spiritual aspects of life. Through out-of-classroom skills and service, she found life in working closely with others. She now prides herself on her ability to interact and help people at Mavuno.

Thanks to generous donors to our NEXT 500 Future Leaders of Congo campaign, Ginette received a scholarship that helped relieve the stress of her academic fees in the midst of personal grief after the loss of her mother. It goes without saying that Ginette’s time at UCBC was transformative and that she emerged a better leader because of the institution. We are excited to see Ginette continue her work in agribusiness consulting and are praying with and for her as she continues towards establishing her own business.