Rwandan wins top honours in Korean women’s varsity

• Crowned Miss Ewha-Koica 2008 SEOUL - Mediatrice Kagaba, a Rwandan student who was pursuing a Master’s Degree in International Development Cooperation at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea has been crowned Miss Ewha-Koica 2008. Kagaba beat dozens of other contestants during a Farewell Ceremony of Ewha-KOICA Master’s Program which was held at Ewha-LG Convention Hall at Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, South Korea. In a telephone interview after she achieved this success, Kagaba said that she was very amazed to be crowned Miss Ewha-Koica 2008. “I was very absorbed with my studies and other education activities during my stay here. What concerned me was the task of passing my courses and going home with high grades,” she said. “We had a heavy load of work to do in a very short time. I did what I had to do, but the last day of my stay here was filled with lots of surprises. I did not only get a Degree with Honors (Distinction) but was also crowned Miss Ewha-Koica 2008,” an apparently overjoyed Kagaba said. 37 women leaders from 18 developing countries including Rwanda, Ghana, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Guatemala , Kenya, Tanzania, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and Ecuador received Master’s degree in Development Cooperation from the same institution. Before going to Seoul for her Masters, Mediatrice Kagaba, was working with the Public Relations office of the National University of Rwanda (NUR). A co-operation programme between the National University of Rwanda (NUR) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) enabled the soft spoken student to pursue her Masters at Ewha Womans University. Asked about the learning environment in Korea, Kagaba said, “There was serious competition in my class but thanks to God; I managed to beat every one of them to the top spot. I look forward to bringing back whatever I have learnt to my country. I was very impressed with the East Asian Model and applying it to Rwanda is my primary goal.” Ewha Womans University is a private women’s university in central Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the city’s largest institutions of higher learning and also believed to be one of the world’s largest female educational institutes. Mediatrice Kagaba is expected to return to Rwanda during the course of the week. Ends