Olivia Mugenga: From Survival to Service

Olivia Mugenga quotes African proverbs and her father’s wisdom with the same gentle softness. During her graduation speech from Georgia Gwinnett College in 2015, she opened the commencement by casually mentioning, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

Her fellow graduates had no idea how spot on she was.

Mugenga’s strength is that of someone who’s seen the worst in humanity but has chosen to channel that strength in helping others. It’s fitting that on top of her remarkable life and accomplishments, she was also cast among superhero royalty in the Marvel Black Panther movies. Now a human rights lawyer based in Atlanta, Mugenga has chosen, as the saying goes, to use her powers for good and not for evil. This is her story.

A Childhood Marked By Survival

Born in South Bend, Indiana, Mugenga was just a baby when her family went on vacation to her parents’ native Rwanda.

“I am Rwandan American. My people are proud people. We share our stories not to elicit pity or sympathy but to share the horrors of humanity so together we can work for a better tomorrow.”

In March 1994, while still an infant, she and her family were caught in Rwanda as the genocide against Tutsi erupted. Mugenga lost her mother, grandparents, and several aunts and uncles.

“This is not unique to my family,” she said. “The genocide against Tutsi is considered one of the worse modern genocides with one million deaths in 100 days. The way we survived is an even longer story for next time. We thank God for surviving.”

Her father chose not to return to the United States to finish the doctorate that had brought him there originally. Instead, he stayed in Rwanda to raise Olivia and her sisters alone.

Lessons from Her Father

“This was unlikely given our situation, but we grew up around a lot of love and fun,” she said. “Dad put a lot of effort into giving us a beautiful childhood. He taught us kindness, love, forgiveness, love for humanity, charity, etc. On weekends, he’d take us to see horses and cows in the countryside and if we stayed in the city, we’d go swimming and play basketball on weekends – these kinds of leisure activities were considered luxury in Rwanda at the time.”

Even while creating joy, her father instilled ambition.

“He put us in one of the best schools at the time, Ecole Belge de Kigali,” she said. “We learned Latin, and spoke French fluently. Then he sent us to the U.S. for college and said, ‘If somebody had sent me here, I may have been a Nobel Prize winner, now go and make me proud.’ This statement touched us because Tutsi kids were refused access to education and even the most brilliant ones would be failed on the basis of tribe.

Education, she understood early, was the only way forward.

“We understood early on, to excel in school is the only way out for an African child,” she said. “My father says that my sisters and I have made him proud. We thank God.”

Her father’s example left its mark. Mugenga said that because she was raised by a kind person, she exudes kindness. “And as it turns out we all need a bit of kindness,” she added. “I never saw any single dads, he was the only one. We were in a very patriarchal context. In fact, he once shared the story of how some men who, like him, had been widowed by the genocide showed him an orphanage where they had left their children and advised him to do the same. He refused.”

Mugenga pointed out that her father wasn’t a rich man, but that he always found a way to take care of his daughters.

“In sum, he taught me to care for my fellow human and to always keep hope. That is why I am in public service,” she said. “In his words, ‘The best revenge is to live and live well.’

Today, Mugenga is writing a book about her father’s life. With pride, she shared: “Dad returned to America a couple of years ago to finally complete his doctorate—and he just did! He is now Dr. Mugenga.”

A Path Toward Leadership

Her father’s lessons, combined with her own resilience, fuel her belief that every grand dream is possible with the right support.

“I wanted to serve in public office in America for a long time,” she said. “America has taken me places I never dreamed possible so I deem it to be my responsibility to contribute to building a better, more equitable society. This however was just a dream. I didn’t know where to start, it felt very intangible. After completing the [Ready to Lead] training, I now know which exact role I want to run for (GA House of Representative) and what steps to take to get there.”

Not only does she credit New American Leaders for helping her chart her path for running for office, she’s also met so many amazing people and attests that the networking and knowledge she’s gained have been invaluable.

Her advice to anyone considering public service is simple but profound: “Grow closer to their community, attend events, console those mourning, congratulate those celebrating—we must do our best to be in people’s lives,” she said. “Not just so they can vote for us when the time comes, but truly because we respect them as humans.”