Article by Susan Odongo
The family of nine refugees from Congo all gave her a hug, when she dropped them off at their new home.
As Brenda Gikunda turned to enter her car, she gently wiped off the tear drops trickling down her face. She gave into her emotions once again before she headed to school for her last class of the day.
At 18, the Tallahassee Community College student is a caseworker assistant working with the International Rescue Committee to help refugees settle in Tallahassee.
Gikunda said she experiences emotional trouble when assisting refugees.
“Working with refugees takes a huge toll on my emotions majority of the time,” Brenda Gikunda said. “I don’t think I will ever be able to control my emotions, not when it brings back old memories.”
At age 16, Brenda Gikunda started volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, an organization that helps low-income families get affordable housing. There she furthered her communication skills.
Charity Gikunda, Brenda’s mother, said that she always knew her daughter would take the path of helping others.
“When we moved to Tallahassee we had a lot of relations with refugees,” Charity Gikunda said. “Brenda was only seven when she started volunteering.”
Brenda Gikunda said she takes pride in her differences.
“Growing up in America as an immigrant was tough because I never really fit in,” she said. “I started to realize how being different is better than fitting in.”
During her senior year in high school, she received the Best and Brightest award for first place in foreign language.
“Being the only one in my high school who was fluent in many languages made me the talk of the school,” she said. “Soon many doors, like my current job, began to open for me.”
Tara Catanach, Brenda’s manager, said that she thought highly of Brenda as the organization’s best asset.
“I think the finest time Brenda is in action is during her time with the refugees,” Catanach said. “I still marvel at how she is able to do her PowerPoints in different languages.”
Bonte Andaye is a refugee from Congo who said that he was very grateful for his relations with Brenda. He could only speak Swahili when he first came to Tallahassee.
“When I found out Brenda could speak Swahili so well I had hope of surviving here,” Andaye said. “I don’t know what my family and I would have done if the I.R.C hadn’t sent her our way.”
Featured Photo courtesy of Brenda Gikunda.
