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 e ...