A Gratitude Journal for the Journey So Far

There are places your soul has to visit before it can heal.

For me, that place was not a city or a country. It was life itself.

My first introduction to humankind was genocide.

I witnessed, at a tender age, the worst that fear and hatred can create.

I saw the brokenness of humanity long before I ever fully understood its beauty.

For a long time, I believed that was all there was.

And yet — here I am.

Writing these words not from despair, but from gratitude.

Choosing to believe in a life that is bigger than what tried to destroy it.

At 21 years old, standing before a room of women eager to learn, I witnessed something extraordinary: the first time something I dreamed became real.

I had an idea — that Rwandan women should be able to tell their own stories, through their own eyes, using the art of cinema.

And so I founded Umbrella Cinema Promoters — a project where we trained over 20 women in storytelling, screenwriting, directing, acting, and editing.

We brought together mentors, leaders, teachers. We created not just films, but futures.

I will never forget our first certification event.

It was a celebration of courage — not just mine, but theirs.

Against countless obstacles, against every “no” I received while searching for sponsors, we stood tall and said: We have the right to tell our stories.

And we did.

The past 12 to 15 years have been a mosaic of unimaginable highs and humbling lows.

I have traveled the world speaking about forgiveness, resilience, identity, and hope.

I have shared stages with global leaders, walked among strangers who became family, and received embraces from survivors who saw themselves reflected in my voice.

I’ve made lifelong friends — and I’ve lost some too.

Some entered my life to teach me tenderness.

Some entered to teach me strength.

And all of it — every joy, every heartbreak — has shaped me into the woman I am today.

Life changes.

And in those changes, I’ve learned to choose gratitude.

There have been moments when I sat in the stillness of my own sorrow and asked:

Why would God create a life if it was meant only to suffer?

To this day, I don’t have the answers.

Maybe I never will.

But even in my darkest nights, something — call it grace, call it hope — whispered that life is more than suffering.

There is light beyond the pain.

There is meaning even in the moments that ache.

I have learned to live a purposeful, joyful life, even when sadness visits.

Even when hardship knocks.

Even when grief sits beside me.

Because life is not just cruelty.

It is also laughter, connection, second chances, morning sunrises, dogs who love you as you are, strangers who become kin, and dreams that defy the past.

Today, I live a life I once only imagined in quiet, secret dreams.

I am married to a man whose love steadies my spirit and ignites my future.

We live together in Los Angeles, sharing our lives with our sweet German Shepherd, Malaika, whose name means “angel” — a daily reminder that love can bloom even after devastation.

Every day is not perfect.

But every day is a chance.

A chance to keep creating.

A chance to keep healing.

A chance to keep saying yes.

The Dean’s Adventures will be my place to honor the life I’ve lived so far — and the life I am still daring to build.

A gratitude journal.

A love letter to the lessons, the losses, and the limitless beauty of being human.

I don’t claim to have all the answers.

But I have this life.

And I will live it with open hands, open heart, and unwavering faith that there is still goodness waiting to be found.