January 1st, 2020 was not only the beginning of a new year but the beginning of a new decade. At the beginning of any new year, I like to reflect on the previous year to see what I did wrong, what I excelled at, and what could have been better or worse. I also like to assess myself by looking at how much I accomplished in the previous year as I set new goals and resolutions for the new year. 

This time, however, was different. I wasn’t just looking back at 2019; I was looking back upon the end of a decade and the beginning of a new one. The goals I would set would not only define how the year 2020 would turn out for me, but they would also contribute greatly to the person that I want and hope to become by the end of 2030.  

As I started 2020, I had to ask myself one of the hardest questions, which is: what is my purpose? Why do I do what I do? Why do I wake up every morning and go about my daily activities with the kind of enthusiasm that I do my work with? To answer these questions, I simply had to go back about 4 years ago to the time when I was an incoming freshman. Four years ago, I came to Penn State with a passion to study hard and go back to my country, Rwanda, and become part of the community that provides innovative solutions to Rwanda and to the African continent as a whole. And that desire to see Rwanda and Africa grow into independent and self-reliant communities is why the past four years of hardcore engineering studies have been bearable for me. 

By the end of 2030, I hope to have achieved my dream of being one of the many solution providers to Rwanda and to Africa as a whole. Every decision and every action I take throughout this decade will be tailored to making this dream a reality. Realizing this dream will not be easy but ten years seems like a long enough time to work hard and steadily towards the realization of the Africa that I want; an Africa that is an equal player in the global political and economical arena. I am excited to experience the challenges and the growth that will come with achieving my goals for this decade, 2020-2030, and I can’t wait.