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National Bound
With a background which is both impressive and difficult, Jean (pronounced similar to “John”) is an international student at the Harrisonburg Campus in the Business Administration Accounting and Management programs. He came to the United States in 1998 from Burundi, in central Africa, where he was a civil engineer and served as a senior civil servant in his country’s government.
To us, his story sounds more like a documentary we’d watch on television, but it is very real. In 1993 civil war broke out in his country, and because of his government position, his life was in danger. He and his family had to flee the country, first seeking asylum in the French Embassy. For some period of time, his wife and one child were in one country and Jean and two other children were in another country.
Finally, the family was reunited in 1994 and lived in Kenya for 4 years. Even in Kenya, Jean was harassed and jailed for short periods. Meanwhile, the situation got worse in Burundi, and they lost everything for which they had worked ten years (house, car, and money in the bank). Jean was targeted by militia and even had a price on his head. During these hard years, they went through the complicated process to immigrate to the United States.
When he and his family arrived in the United States, they settled in Harrisonburg with the help of friends from a previous work relationship. He pursued a master’s degree at Eastern Mennonite University but he was unable to get a job related to his degree in Conflict Transformation in the Harrisonburg area where his family wanted to remain.
Realizing that he had always been interested in accounting, Jean investigated programs at National and enrolled as a student. It is National College, he believes, that is preparing him for a new career. He loves his classes and believes he will be more employable in the accounting field. In the meantime, he’s a busy man with classes during the day and working at night as a custodian, in addition to being a husband and father. We’re glad to have Jean as a student and feel confident that we can help him find work in his new field.
