Rwanda’s Ambassador to the United States and an alumna of California’s Capital University, Sac State, Mathilde Mukantabana, is set to receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from her alma mater for her extraordinary work in educating others about genocide and helping victims find hope and reconciliation.
Mukantabana lost her parents, five siblings, and dozens of other family members and friends during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, but she used her grief as motivation to build a more peaceful world.
The envoy, who holds master’s degrees in History and Social Work from Sac State, dedicated herself to teaching others about her homeland and helping its people recover from the tragedy.
She helped found the Friends of Rwanda Association, a nonprofit relief organization that, under her leadership, raised funds from across the U.S. to establish a vocational school for children whose parents had been murdered. She also created a social work program at the National University of Rwanda.
In 2013, Mukantabana was appointed as Rwanda’s ambassador to the United States, and in 2018, she was a featured speaker at Sac State’s International Genocide Conference. Her deep connection to Sacramento State has helped her accomplish much of what she has professionally.
She has maintained close ties to her alma mater and has helped plan and attend international conferences at Sac State and Cosumnes River College.
Sonney Chong, a University Foundation board member who nominated Mukantabana for the honorary doctorate, called her “the very embodiment of the hope, the promise, and the ideals manifested in the California State University system.”
He said that by modeling personal courage, speaking out against those who would divide us, and sharing the means by which we can overcome our differences, Ambassador Mukantabana embodies a life of leadership and service to students and the community.
Mukantabana and three other honorary doctorate and President’s Medal recipients will be honored at a reception on April 14.
