Birabwa Birungi Serumaga - BOLD Stories

When Birabwa Birungi Serumaga began her
post-secondary educational journey, she was heading in a completely different direction than she is today.

Birabwa, also more popularly known as Bebe, started her journey at another university, but realised after a year, that she was seeking a richer and more supportive university experience. That realization led her to Brescia.

“When I finished my first year at McMaster, I came back home, and I told my mom I didn’t love it. . . I wasn’t getting the support I wanted, so my mom suggested I transfer to Brescia and to give it a shot. She told me it was an all-women’s university and strongly believed that I would get the support I needed here,” Bebe explained.

“Brescia is such a small community, but it is also very intentional about the different types of projects that are advertised on campus or the different roles within work study, where you can work with a professor or you can work with different groups of people depending on your interest.” 

 

Now in her 4^th year of an honours specialization in Psychology, the 23-year-old said transferring to Brescia was the best thing she could have done for herself, her upcoming career, and her overall development.

“The things I have been able to do on campus like be a wellness peer, work with Agents of Change, collaborate with various community members as well as help to create various programs here, has been so amazing,” she said.

The down to earth but very outspoken Bebe said she doesn’t believe she would have gotten those types of experiences anywhere else.

She added that being at Brescia also assisted tremendously with developing professionalism by being put in positions that required her to build those skills.

Bebe said that she especially liked the fact that being a part of the community challenged her to be her best self.

“I was never this confident when I first came. And it wasn’t that I lacked confidence, I just didn’t believe that I could do it simply because I was a black woman. And that’s just because that’s where the lens of society is. In high school I was told by guidance counsellors that were I see myself in five years and the goals I had for myself were too much and perhaps I should look at something a little smaller. That was kind of diminishing who I am. So, I went into a mindset of, maybe I shouldn’t reach for higher standards because maybe they see something in me that I don’t see,” she recalled.

 

“At Brescia we are always reminded that it doesn’t matter what people say, if you believe that you can and you put in the work, then you can  do it. It’s also the support that’s on campus. Yes, they’re things that can be improved, but what we are doing so far is doing a really good job of elevating who we are so we can at least break the barriers that are in front of us.”

 

 

But Bebe said when she came to Brescia, it was completely different, and she was constantly encouraged to dream big and was supported as she pursued those goals.

Bebe said the highlight of her Brescia experience was seeing how she has developed, stressing that she absolutely loves the woman she has become since coming to Brescia.

“Seeing myself grow and be a little more empowered has been the highlight for me at Brescia, but also being able to do so on a campus that values God. It’s a very important part of my life, highlighting the fact that I do all things through the glory of God, and I am able to do so within an environment that encourages that for me. As I grow and as I learn, I am also learning spiritually as well as intellectually and I can  put those two together and I can develop a character that is more suitable for helping people. And thinking more of people than I do for myself.”

Bebe, who will graduate later this year, said she will always carry what she has learnt at Brescia wherever she goes and will continually do her part to help other women live up to their true potential and be as bold as they possibly could, whatever being bold meant to them.

 

How is Bebe developing her BOLD?

“Being bold  to me means stepping outside of your comfort zone even when it doesn’t look like the outcome is going to be exactly like you have seen it in your head. Stepping up for yourself and accepting support and help along the way because you can’t do it on your own. That to me is being bold.”

 

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