It was round 3 p.m. on Friday, September 11, when Henriette Umukundwa acquired a cellphone name from her mom in Ruhango District, telling her that she was among the many high performers within the Superior Stage nationwide examination outcomes introduced that day.
Uwukundwa, 19, was washing dishes at her sister’s residence in Kigali, the place she had gone to go to.
“After I heard that I used to be among the many finest performers, I used to be very stunned. I assumed it was a rip-off. I cried quite a bit, tears of pleasure. Then I adopted the occasion of the discharge of the nationwide exams outcomes on YouTube. That's after I confirmed that it was true,” she informed The New Instances.
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The previous scholar of ACEJ Karama Technical Secondary Faculty (TSS) topped in Accounting with a rating of 95.23 p.c.
Accounting was among the many Skilled Training combos.
Umukundwa attributed her efficiency to laborious work, following her lecturers’ recommendation to work in groups and conducting in depth analysis.
“My lecturers outfitted me with expertise, inspired me to do analysis and in addition to take pleasure in teamwork, saying that ‘one pillar doesn’t make a home’. This helped me really feel that I would like others as they want me, the place we shared information and revised collectively,” she stated.
Her favorite topics had been auditing, monetary arithmetic and administration. She studied extensively, took notes and made summaries to enhance her understanding, and paid consideration throughout classes.
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She additionally ready a revision timetable, figuring out topics and subjects she didn’t clearly perceive and giving them extra consideration.
Her dad and mom had been additionally supportive, she stated. They supported her and inspired her to goal excessive in life.
As a toddler, Umukundwa needed to turn into a health care provider, however her pursuits modified as she grew older and she or he turned extra drawn to accounting.
She now plans to review accounting at college, achieve extra information and expertise, and work in direction of turning into a professional accountant.
“The recommendation I may give to others who wish to carry out properly is to deal with their classes and handle their time properly,” Umukundwa stated.
“They need to listen at school, hearken to their lecturers and make sufficient time for revision and different schoolwork. Staying centered and utilizing their time properly may also help them sustain with their research and enhance their efficiency.”
Youssouf Bisangabagabo, the headmaster of ACEJ Karama TSS, stated Umukundwa was a category monitress and served as an accountant within the Adventist group. She was all the time among the many high three college students in her class and was a accountable scholar who was helpful to the group.
In her free time, the teenager enjoys studying historical past books and catching up with pals.
One other high performer, Naomie Umunyurwa Karangwa, was along with her dad and mom when the nationwide examination outcomes had been introduced.
Karangwa, 17, sat along with her dad and mom to look at the announcement, anticipating to see good marks. She knew she had certified for a diploma however didn’t know she had carried out properly sufficient to emerge as the highest performer within the Technical Secondary Faculty class.
Karangwa scored 94.74 p.c. She studied Craft and Leisure Arts at Ecole d’Arts de Nyundo in Rubavu District.
As she and her dad and mom watched the outcomes announcement reside on YouTube on September 11, Karangwa was ready for the hyperlink to test her particular person outcomes and shock her household.
“Then, as they had been studying the names of the perfect performers, I heard my identify. I may hardly imagine it,” she recalled in an interview with The New Instances.
“I used to be actually shocked. I replayed that a part of the programme greater than 5 occasions as a result of I couldn’t imagine it might be me. I by no means thought I may carry out that properly and take the nationwide high place,”
Her dad and mom had been equally stunned, and the three cried with pleasure.
The outcomes got here after a yr wherein she relied on her ordinary examine habits, together with waking up early, revising notes and taking notes at school. However she stated self-discipline and respect had been simply as essential.
Karangwa stated respect means recognising that irrespective of how succesful one is, there’ll all the time be one thing they’ll study from one other individual. She stated having this sense prevents folks from seeing themselves as higher than others and permits them to study from these with skills they could not have.
She credit her dad and mom, lecturers and pals, in addition to the schooling she acquired, for supporting her.
“My dad and mom all the time made positive that I didn’t lack something I wanted for varsity. They offered my faculty charges and the tools I wanted, together with parental recommendation that confirmed me the precise path to success,” she stated.
Her lecturers additionally supported her via classwork and sensible workout routines.
“They tried their degree finest to assist me, particularly after I struggled. By means of classwork and sensible workout routines, they helped me get again on my toes, develop my expertise and realise my potential. Their help pushed me to work tougher, and my dad and mom proceed to encourage me to pursue my ambitions,” she stated.
Karangwa needs to concentrate on industrial design, primarily structure and 3D artwork. She is within the detailed designs seen in some historic buildings, together with aid sculptures and floral patterns. Karangwa stated many fashionable buildings are look very minimalist and have fewer of those inventive particulars.
She needs to carry a few of that element again into fashionable architectural design by creating complicated designs that inform a narrative.
Her curiosity in structure has drawn her to the work of the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, whom she considers a job mannequin. Hadid confronted years of criticism over her curvaceous, and futuristic designs that had been thought-about too radical or tough to construct, with lots of her early tasks remaining on paper earlier than extra of her designs had been realised.
Karangwa admires Hadid for persevering with to pursue structure regardless of the criticism she confronted.
The teenager advises fellow college students to work laborious, keep disciplined and take recommendation severely, saying stress needs to be seen as a privilege as a result of it pushes folks to work tougher.
Of the 108,406 candidates who sat the 2025/26 Superior Stage nationwide examinations, 94.33 p.c handed, Ladies accounted for 55.05 p.c of those that registered.
