Building My Confidence
Enjoy a story shared by one of the members of the In Her Presence community, written or recorded in her own words.
This quarter, meet Claire Kayirangwa. She comes to us from Rwanda, where she worked as a lawyer in family and commercial law for 20 years.
My name is Claire KAYIRANGWA. I am originally from Rwanda. I moved to the United States towards the end of November 2020 but had a hard time adjusting to the changes.
Back in Rwanda I had an office job and had a stable life. In my first few months, I was a little bit struggling with the changes and did not know if I would ever get used to this new life and be stable again.
My sons and daughter went to school in the United States, and my husband had been in the United States for 7 years when I got here. They all spoke English fluently, but I had a hard time understanding when Americans spoke to me with an American accent. It was very discouraging thinking that I would not be able to communicate with people. I asked my sons to come with me everywhere and used them as interpreters everywhere. To answer phone calls, I asked them to interpret for me, when we went to the grocery store, I asked them to ask questions, and I always wondered if there would be a time when I would be able to do all that by myself.
In February 2021, a friend of mine told me about In Her Presence; I was excited to join the group. The class was very convenient for me as it was on zoom because I had just moved here and did not have a car to move around. Having the class remotely helped me a lot because it helped me attend the class as much as I could.
As I came to class and interacted with other women that had the same struggles as mine, it started building confidence in myself. This showed me that I was not the only one struggling. I kept on practicing and attending activities that we were invited to, which built my self-confidence and self-reliance. Through the Charting Your Course class, I have been able to clarify my career goals. I received a lot of help from In Her Presence’s teacher and volunteers to make my resume, which helped me later when I was applying for jobs. Now, I got a professional job and I am very happy to be where I am. And where I am is thanks to “IN HER PRESENCE”.
The Charting Your Course class opened my mind. I realized my previous experience and skills could help the community. So, in addition to working, I am also a volunteer with Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine (SARSSM).
I am now able to communicate with people with less struggle and built much more confidence in myself. I am very grateful for the volunteers that made this course enjoyable and helped us a lot.
I would advise a woman out there who does not know how to integrate into this country to join IN HER PRESENCE. The program helped me find myself in this new and big country, where I thought it would be hard for me. No matter how long you have been here for, joining this program will be a great opportunity for you.
