Borderless Minds Podcast

Borderless Minds Podcast

by Jado & Christian
EducationSociety & Culture
Season 2
Cerise Inganji Part 3 of 3: Perseverance, Sacrifices and Traveling
In the final part of this series, Cerise reflects on the perseverance it takes to be an immigrant and the importance of reminding yourself how far you’ve already come. She shares how gathering old documents while preparing to file for her green card, became a powerful reminder of everything she endured along the way. Cerise, Christian and Jado talk about the sacrifices that come with the pursuit of a better future, including long stretches of not seeing family. The episode closes on a lighter, more personal note as Cerise talks about her love for travel and birthdays and what kept her going through it all: God and her faith.
S2 · E4
Dec 21, 2025
40:42
Cerise Inganji Part 2 of 3: Career, Visas and the Green Card Journey
In this episode, Cerise continues her journey, sharing how she moved from Little Rock, Arkansas to Nashville, Tennessee to work for a major company, all while navigating life on OPT, knowing the clock was already ticking. She reflects on the importance of maintaining strong relationships and the emotional toll of living on a visa. Cerise opens up about the highs and lows of balancing school, part-time work, and paying bills, all while navigating the uncertain path from an F-1 visa to a green card. The episode closes with an honest reflection on sacrifice: Is it all worth it?
S2 · E3
Dec 14, 2025
1:03:23
Cerise Inganji Part 1 of 3: Culture Shock, Career Fairs & Courage
In this episode, Cerise shares her journey from growing up in Rwanda to studying in the U.S. on a prestigious presidential scholarship. She talks about how her childhood dream of becoming a pharmacist shifted once she got to college and discovered engineering. Cerise walks us through the culture shocks of moving to America, the transition into college life, and how a career fair led to the internship that eventually became her full-time role in Arkansas. She also opens up about the realities of working as a young Black woman in a male-dominated field—imposter syndrome, discrimination, and what it takes to stand your ground. A story of grit, reinvention, and finding your lane in a new world. Tune in!
S2 · E2
Dec 10, 2025
1:00:50
Borderless Minds Podcast Season 2 Premiere | Reflections, Career Editions & Policy Talk
In this introductory episode of Season 2, Christian and Jado look back on their most memorable moments from Borderless Minds Season 1. They share what stood out from each guest — the lessons, laughter, and stories that defined our first season. As they look ahead, Christian & Jado tease exciting new additions for Season 2, including the Career Editions — a deeper dive into real career journeys, purpose, and growth. They wrap up the episode with a timely discussion on recent policy changes and how these shifts could affect people and communities in the future. Tune in for reflections, insights, and what’s next for Borderless Minds! 🌍 #BorderlessMinds #Podcast #CareerEditions #Season2 #PolicyTalk #Inspiration #internationstudents #immigrantstories
S2 · E1
Oct 16, 2025
29:03
Season 1
Nancy Umutoniwase: Part 3 of 3: From Internship to Job Offer | Navigating Work, Community & Future Goals
In this episode, Nancy shares how a friend looked out for her and helped her craft a strong resume and how networking opened the door to a paid summer internship in Arizona - An internship that resulted into a job offer before graduation. Nancy talks about the challenges of securing work permits and getting experience/internships while still in school Nancy reflects on how the internship changed the way her school department viewed her, leading to more recognition which made her feel a certain type of way. She also opens up about graduation, the role of community, embracing change, and her plans for the future. The episode closes with an honest conversation about navigating the H1B visa process and green card applications. 🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more stories from international students. #NancyUmutoniwase #InternationalStudentLife #InternshipSuccess #H1BVisa #GreenCardJourney #NetworkingTips #CareerDevelopment #DiversityInSTEM #StudentStories
S1 · E16
Jun 15, 2025
58:05
Nancy Umutoniwase: Part 2 of 3: Nancy’s Journey of Growth, Struggle & Finding Purpose in College
In this episode, Nancy continues to share her journey as she recalls the 14-hour bus ride from Kentucky to West Virginia University (WVU). She recalls feeling the reality of being independent as her mom was getting ready to leave her by herself. Faced with anxiety about adjusting, succeeding, and finding her place, she began to question if she could handle it all. Things started to shift when she connected with a community of fellow Rwandan students—one of whom became like a big brother and helped her navigate the campus and the new reality of being an international student. The adjustment wasn’t easy. Nancy reflects on the difficulty of adjusting to unfamiliar food and the challenge of managing her own routine and schedule for the first time. With no job and limited money, Nancy learned to budget using YouTube. As she explored various academic paths, she eventually found her passion in mining engineering while also developing a deep interest in midwifery. She shares an honest look at battling depression in her third year in college, the importance of leaning on friends and family, and how gratitude helped her find strength during tough times. Nancy’s story is one of resilience and discovery. #NancyWVU #ImmigrantJourney #CollegeLife #MentalHealthAwareness #BecomingYou
S1 · E15
Jun 8, 2025
1:03:05
Nancy Umutoniwase: Part 1 of 3: From Rwanda to WVU — A Journey of Faith and Family
In this episode, Nancy shares her inspiring journey from Rwanda to West Virginia. 🇷🇼✈️🇺🇸 She first arrived in the U.S. in 2014, landing in Kentucky with her mom and siblings before taking a 14-hour bus ride to Morgantown, WV. But her story begins much earlier. Nancy opens up about her experience at Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology—a place she didn’t want to attend at first but her dad talked her into giving it a shot for one year, and the rest is history. At Gashora, Nancy was introduced to a world of leadership, academic possibilities, strong mentorship, and college counseling. Inspired by her sister who was already studying in the U.S., Nancy began exploring opportunities abroad. A visit from a WVU representative at Gashora helped her envision her next steps, and her father’s encouragement leaned her towards engineering as a major of choice in college. A natural planner, Nancy shares how she leans on her faith to navigate the unexpected. She closes out Part 1 by recalling her U.S. Embassy interview and the confidence her mother taught her to carry into every room. From school uniforms to bold dreams, Nancy’s story is one of growth, courage, and determination.
S1 · E14
Jun 1, 2025
1:03:28
Rubis Ngenzi - Part 3 of 3 [In Kinyarwanda]: Life After Graduation & the Journey Back Home
In the final episode of this inspiring series, Rubis reflects on the unexpected path his post-grad life took. He shares how learning Spanish to impress a girl led to an internship in Colombia 🇨🇴, and how that experience shaped his next steps. From graduating in the U.S. to navigating the job search, OPT process, and landing his first interview in New York—Rubis opens up about the highs, the hard lessons, and the hustle. When the dream job didn’t come through, he pivoted—working jobs from hostel staff to valet—to make it work. Eventually, with his OPT expiring, he made the decision to move back to Rwanda. Back home, Rubis talks about adjusting to the local job market, facing new challenges, and how the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. The episode closes with a powerful conversation between Rubis and Christian about life, purpose, and what’s next.
S1 · E13
May 18, 2025
1:10:11
Rubis Ngenzi - Part 2 of 3 [in Kinyarwanda]: Rubis on his desire to go to a US College, his experiences and finding his identity
In this episode, Rubis talks about why he wanted to go to College in the US - Dreams to play Basketball and in the NBA - his expectations and his reality when he arrived on campus. Rubis and Christian, who both were at the same college, discuss about Rubis' transition and how Christian helped make it easier as his roommate. Rubis discusses his early memories of racism in a statistics class and how that impacted him - realizing his blackness for the first time. This conversation takes turns in a variety of topics ranging from finding your identity in different cultures (black vs Rwandan), Pan-Africanism and educating oneself about one's history. Tune in for the full, funny and insightful conversation
S1 · E12
May 11, 2025
1:10:30
Rubis Ngenzi - Part 1 of 3: Rubis on growing up as a refugee, basketball's impact on him and reminiscing on high school days
In this episode, Rubis looks back on his early childhood memories growing up in Congo and fleeing to Rwanda in 1996. He also shares stories from his high school days and talks about how basketball had a big, positive impact on his life. The episode—and the whole series—is a mix of Kinyarwanda and English.
S1 · E11
May 4, 2025
52:36
1 of 2