Aspiring for Higher Education

By Elizabeth Ambriz-Mendez

Fidelis Udahemuka S.J., is the Special Assistant to President Michael Engh S.J., but by 2014 he hopes to be contributing what he's learned to help start a new university in eastern Africa.

Udahemuka, 45, came from the Society of Jesuits Eastern Africa province where a team of over 200 Jesuits has committed to building an institution for higher education. By shadowing Engh, as well as university executives, Fidelis hopes to gain the day-to-day administrative skills necessary in order to help start a university. 

Udahemuka holds degrees in philosophy and humanities, business administration, an MBA from Santa Clara as well as Masters degrees in divinity and Christian social ethics from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. A key part to Udahemuka's passion for education is a sincere desire to help make a change in people's lives, in addition to experiences he had while becoming a Jesuit.

From a young age, Udahemuka was drawn towards becoming a priest. Pastoral work involved attending to the needs of all people, even those least cared for in society. His understanding of priesthood was one of service; however at the end of his high school education, Udahemuka had plans to study law. To him, the law meant dealing with issues of social justice, which was another strong calling that resonated with him. 

While waiting for his first year of college to begin, Udahemuka accompanied a friend to visit local Jesuits. After this visit he was invited for a Come and See, which is a conference where young men learn more about the Jesuit vocation and participate in different activities. The Come and See made Udahemuka realize that becoming a Jesuit would give him room to develop, serve and actualize his dreams. 

"I didn't know much about the Jesuits. It was, I don't want to say accidental, but God had his own way of finding me and I am happy," said Udahemuka.

He found the Jesuit lifestyle made sense to his interests because they were priests who were dealing with spiritual matters but were also involved in issues of social justice and education. 

During his period of formation Udahemuka taught primary school mathematics, Swahili and geography at Kangemi slum in Kenya for six months. A particular experience with resonating impact was when he saw how students whom the school had termed "slow learners" were mocked and marginalized by everyone. He committed to tutoring these "slow learners" and in the final exam, five of these children had the best scores in the entire class. 

"As a Jesuit that experience really made a huge difference," he said. "I have never felt so good as I felt that time."

A major challenge that African countries are facing is that of a high demand for education, according to Udahemuka. An example from the his own research on 2009 statistics for Kenya found that out of 82,000 students who qualified to attend university, only 10,000 received government scholarships. Another 10,000 were able to pay out of pocket, and 5,000 were able to obtain jobs. This left a remaining 70 percent of students who qualified to attend college were stuck without a job or degree. Udahemuka believes this is a large responsibility of Jesuit vocation.

"We need to do something. No matter how small it is or how big it is, we need to respond to the needs of these kids," said Udahemuka.

At the moment Kenya and Tanzania are the final two countries being considered for the location of this new university. The province pioneer team intends to start out small, initially offering courses in the colleges of engineering, business and education.

Udahemuka has enjoyed the day-to-day experiences of meeting new people, tapping into their passions and asking for suggestions. He values having the opportunity to learn from a first world university with 160 years of experience and picking out what aspects will fit best in the context of the East African province team's efforts. Udahemuka is proud of being a part of the Santa Clara community and feels especially connected to the student body from his time as a resident minister in Swig and a Jesuit in residence at Graham. He hopes students will get involved in helping create a movement for the cause. 

"I would be proud to have Broncos help reach out to other frontiers," said Udahemuka.

Contact Elizabeth Ambriz-Mendez at EAmbrizMendez@scu.edu or (408) 554-4849.