Kiley Wellendorf | News Co-Editor & Krystal Schulte | Visuals Co-Editor

On Friday, Apr. 10, Buena Vista University (BVU) held a number of events in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The first event of the night took place gathered around the BVU bell-tower where Rwandan students prepared to complete a silent walk to start off the evening. Rwandan students ranging from first-year students to seniors gathered around the BVU bell-tower waving at those who drove by and assigned impromptu parking spots to those who traveled to BVU to attend this event.

Upon arriving at the bell-tower, participants were given a ribbon in order to wear for the duration of the evening. Freshman Richard Shinrig explained the importance of choosing gray as the ribbon’s color.

“It is a sign of remembering; it used to be paper, then they changed it to a grey,” Shinrig said. “It’s about hope and developing ourselves so we don’t live in sadness like we used to – now it’s about growth.”

While most students walked from their dorms to attend this event, others traveled great distances in order to thrive in this event. Kelly Black, the first person to meet at the bell-tower, explains how she came to campus because of her curiosity and love for her Rwandan friends.

“I’m hoping to learn more about the culture of Rwanda and then support this event and grieve with them and walk with them in honor of those who died,” Black said. “I think it’s tremendous, and part of my job is that I work with other universities, and so I have never been part of an event like this.”

Students were greeted with hugs as they began filling in the grassy area separating the sidewalk and the bell-tower. Euniq Habinana, a freshman studying engineering at Dort College, drove an hour to attend the remembrance ceremony.

“I’m the only one in my college so it’s kind of hard for me to find all of this so I was just like, oh, I should join them,” Habinana said.

Habinana is the first sibling to attend college in his family and points out how the United States introduced new ideas to him and several struggles he had to overcome.

“The weather, how time is different – so many things. The language barrier was a long thing that I had to walk through and make myself understand,” Habinana said.

Reine Kwizera, a sophomore studying biology at BVU, also faced the familiar tinge of homesickness upon arriving at the university for the first time.

“I have two of my cousins here, but it’s still hard because cousins are not like siblings or parents, so it’s hard to get used to because at first when I came I didn’t have a lot of friends,” Kwizera said. “Now I have a lot of my friends with me, and it’s better. I still miss home.”

Although Kwizera hasn’t seen her family in a year and a half, she is able to communicate with her family through different applications used around the United States.

“Yeah, we Skype; we use viper; we text all of the time. There are a lot of apps used here so we use them,” Kwizera said.

BVU put on an event that not only allowed strangers to come together for a cause that brings them directly back to their homes but also created a program that registered tremendously in participants minds.

“I think it’s beautiful and actually a wonderful way to support the culture that is here,” Black said.

Following the walk, students participated in a ceremony after which included a candle-lighting, poems, and a testimony.