Jean Pierre Imanirumva
Happiness for a Lifetime Comes from Helping People
Tales of Courage is a series that speaks about the power of education as a tool for transformative change in the world. They are told through the lens of Mastercard Foundation Scholars and Alumni. From Carnegie Mellon University Africa, here is Jean Pierre’s story.
“Engineering is good because you impact a large number of people. I am amazed when I see that I contributed to a product that has made a great impact.”
One of Jean Pierre’s greatest challenges was starting a career in engineering. Coming from a management background, he was not familiar with engineering concepts. It was thus challenging for him to join Tap and Go, a Rwandan tech firm providing smart transport solutions for over 5 million users. Undeterred, Jean Pierre worked to improve himself and addressed the knowledge gaps he identified. His efforts paid off, and he became an engineer. Before joining the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at CMU-Africa, Jean Pierre had a successful career as an engineer. He worked with several engineering companies, most notably AC Group.
Growing up in a rural area in Musanze District, Rwanda, Jean-Pierre developed a passion for engineering. He sought to pursue a master’s degree at CMU-Africa but encountered financial constraints. He was thus excited when he came across the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at CMU-Africa and applied when he discovered that the Foundation was looking for people with backgrounds similar to his.
I would say try to make an impact. If you have something others may not have, take the opportunity to impact at least one or two people in your lifetime.
“One philosopher likened a child to clay. You can make anything you want from him. With education, you groom people to be whatever you want them to be. With the tools and skills, a person can change from who he is today to who he can be tomorrow.”
Jean-Pierre is passionate about education and seeks to improve himself with the aim of impacting people. To Jean-Pierre, the more people impacted, the more successful he will consider himself.
“What motivates me is when I help someone or when my work impacts people. A Chinese proverb states that happiness for a lifetime comes from helping people.”
Jean Pierre at Carnegie Mellon University Africa
He advises prospective Mastercard Foundation Scholars to highlight their leadership experience within their communities and prove that they will give back to their communities once given the opportunity. As far as Jean Pierre is concerned, that is what the world needs.
He counts his greatest achievement as having built a product many users benefit from. He played a key role in contributing to the Tap & Go transportation cards, an automated fare collection system for transport operators and convenience to commuters using an optimized fleet monitoring system and the Tap & Go card for payment.
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