‘Wildcat Wednesday’: UK Alumna, Marshall Scholar Is Changing How the World Views Immigration
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 23, 2022) — Throughout March for Women’s History Month, the University of Kentucky is spotlighting Women Making History. These women are leading their fields of research, crossing traditional academic boundaries and impacting Kentucky’s most pressing challenges including opioid use disorder treatment, aging and Alzheimer’s, water and air filtration, environmental impacts on health and suicide prevention.
They are mentoring the next generation of women scientists and scholars, curating stories and creating artworks illuminating who we are. Their work and voices shape the University of Kentucky.
On this Wildcat Wednesday, UK celebrates Chimene Ntakarutimana, an alumna from the UK College of Arts and Sciences and Lewis Honors College, from Lexington.
In 2021, Ntakarutimana was named a Marshall Scholar, making her only the sixth UK student to receive the honor from the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission.
Ntakarutinama is currently using her Marshall Scholarship to pursue two master's degrees in the United Kingdom, at the University College London, in the fields of global migration and gender, society and representation.
From personal experience, Ntakarutimana understands how forced migration can change one’s life. For six years, she lived in a refugee camp after fleeing genocide in her home country of Burundi. It was this constant moving and resettlement process that led to her interest in the field of migration, as well as her undergraduate research at UK and abroad as a participant in the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program in Rwanda.
“Coming to the U.S. as a refugee was a difficult process,” she said. “With the encouragement of my family, I was able to see that I could use my own personal experience to change the way the world views immigration.”
During her time at UK, Ntakarutimana was named a Chellgren Fellow and earned a minor in criminology and a Certificate in Social Science Research in addition to her two bachelor’s degrees (psychology and sociology) from the UK College of Arts and Sciences. Active in undergraduate research, she analyzed how African Americans view other racially diverse people and their friendship groups. Outside of the classroom she was active as a College of Arts and Sciences Ambassador, K Crew Leader and UK 101 peer mentor.
Off campus, Ntakarutimana volunteered with Ampersand Sexual Violence Resource Center of the Bluegrass, and worked as an administrative coordinator at Kentucky Refugee Ministries, where she had the opportunity to see the resettlement process firsthand, while learning how a nonprofit operates.
After completing her two master's degrees, Ntakarutimana would like to work with international nonprofit organizations focused on migration and one day be director of the United Nations Women's Department.
“I want to give back. That’s something that (UK) has taught me — that you have to pass it forward. You have to make sure you are mentoring the people behind — that way everyone gets to be where you are at.”
Read more about Ntakarutimana and her Marshall Scholarship here.
The UK Office of Nationally Competitive Awards assists current undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni in applying for external fellowships scholarships funded by sources (such as a nongovernment foundation or government agency) outside the university. These major awards honor exceptional students across the nation. Students who are interested in these opportunities are encouraged to begin work with the office's director, Pat Whitlow, well in advance of the scholarship deadline.
Look for “Women Making History” stories, like Ntakarutimana’s, in UKNOW on “Wildcat Wednesday” and every day on UK Research social media (@ResearchKY on Twitter and Facebook) throughout the month of March.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.