Isaac Bwayo took a circuitous path to Heidelberg, following former soccer coach Ryan Carruth to the ‘Berg after spending two years at a community college in Arizona. You might think transferring to a university in the Midwest would be challenging, and it was. But for Isaac, it was nothing compared to his experience in a refugee camp.
Civil unrest forced Isaac from his native Uganda into the camp. Although he had an uncle and a brother with him, it was tough on the 10-year-old. “I just wanted to see my mom and my mom is not there,” he recalled.
In the camp, he picked up soccer; really, there wasn’t much else to do. He became quite good at the game, and it opened doors for him. “Where I am now is because of soccer,” said Isaac, who was moved by the United Nations to the San Diego area after three years in the refugee camp.
And soccer eventually brought him to Heidelberg. “Me coming to Heidelberg was absolutely because of sports. But because of that, it made me explore the school,” Isaac said. “It was too far to visit, so I just threw my eggs in a basket and decided to come. … San Diego is nice, but if I just settled in the West Coast, I would have not had the opportunities I’ve had.”
Once he arrived, eventually having to purchase a winter coat, he thrived not only on the soccer field but in the classroom, on campus and in the community as well.
“I really like my teammates and the coach who brought me here. My experience has been really good. The friends I’ve met through soccer have really helped me stay on top of everything and keep my GPA up,” Isaac said. That was good motivation – although being a non-native speaker, he had to work twice as hard academically.
The Heidelberg community was a great fit for Isaac, who got a job working with Student Affairs and especially enjoyed his role as a HYPE mentor. “I was fortunate to be part of that. Being a HYPE mentor was really cool. I’m really proud of that,” he said. He also volunteered to be a mentor to local kids through the Seneca Mentoring Youth Links program, which is similar to Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
A business administration and economics major and a first-generation college student, Isaac feels some pressure to do well, set an example and make the siblings of his extended family proud. “I just want to do my best.”
He’s planning to stay at Heidelberg, continuing his work with Student Affairs this summer as an RA, an orientation leader and a HYPE mentor, before starting his MBA here in the fall. He’s hoping to save enough money to buy a car that would take him back and forth to an internship before eventually returning to Uganda, where he’d like to open a real estate business.
Congratulations to Isaac, who was the recipient of the Burghalter Memorial Award, honoring the acts of a good Samaritan, during this year’s Student Awards Celebration on April 28.