North student rises from refugee to policy adviser
Robert Nishimwe was born in a Tanzanian refugee camp in 2000, the youngest of six children born to father Barinakandi Johnson and mother Barampanze Evelyne.
The family fled the second of two civil wars in Burundi, a conflict marked by genocides that left the underdeveloped nation’s population one of the poorest in the world, according to International Monetary Fund estimates.
When Robert was 7, the family received permission from the United Nations to immigrate to the United States. His parents were hesitant. Their family was in Burundi, but one thing above all else lured them to ultimately settle in Iowa: education.
“We arrived and we did not speak a word of English,” said Robert, who will be a junior at Des Moines North High School this fall. “But for my family, it was always education, education, education. That was the path to better days.”
Robert is 16 now, and he has taken his parents’ admonitions seriously. He has a 3.7 grade-point average, takes advance courses and Gov. Terry Branstad recently appointed him to be the nonvoting student member of the state Board of Education.
That’s quite a climb for a 16-year-old who went from speaking no English to advising state education policy makers.
Robert does not remember the refugee camp or the kind of education offered there. Most of his memories are from his early years in Des Moines.
His parents speak Kirundi and Swahili as their primary languages. The children learned through Des Moines schools’ English Language Learners programs.
“I did not even know how to say ‘hello,’” Robert said.
He studied at two Des Moines elementary schools, first at South Union and then Oak Park, before attending Moulton Extended Learning Center.
Robert’s language skills were understandably lower when he started school. But his annual assessment scores got better each year — so quickly, in fact, that by the time he reached Moulton, he’d caught the eye of Tony Voss.
Voss is a talented-gifted consultant for the Des Moines district. His job is to find students with potential to succeed in more challenging courses.
“It’s a treasure hunt,” Voss said. “Finding someone like Robert is what you’re in it for.”
District officials encouraged Robert to enter the 7th Grade Prep Academy at Central Academy. This meant harder homework and higher expectations. Robert embraced it.
“It was really hard at first,” Robert said. “It was a different environment and a faster pace. And I didn’t have anybody at home who could help with the homework.”
Robert enrolled in a program called Children and Family Urban Movement, a not-for-profit group that helps young people succeed by providing tutoring, meals and other support.
“It was very helpful,” Robert said. “I got to do my homework and got help. I got to play outside and make friends. It was another thing pushing education to the forefront.”
The extra help propelled Robert to success in advanced math, science and even English classes by the time he reached North.
Earlier this year, North guidance counselor Loretta Martzahl suggested Robert apply to fill the student slot on the state Board of Education.
The student is a nonvoting member of the 10-member panel that oversees everything from teacher preparation program standards to curriculum mandates for kindergarten through 12th grade for Iowa’s nearly 548,000 school children.
Robert agreed, but he figured he was not qualified for the position. Months went by and he heard nothing. Finally, he got a call. He had an interview with Branstad.
From refugee camp to meeting face to face with Iowa’s top elected official is quite a journey. The weight of it made Robert nervous.
“I was intimidated at first,” Robert said. “But then I just decided to talk to (Branstad) like I knew him. I figured I had nothing to lose. If I got the position, that would be great. And if I didn’t, well, at least I had the experience of applying.”
Robert must have made an impression. Branstad chose him.
“Robert has led an impressive life and understands the value of a great education and the opportunity afforded to him by the sacrifices of his parents,” Branstad said in a statement. “I’m confident in his abilities to bring value to the board.”
Robert takes the responsibility seriously. He already sounds like a veteran policy maker.
He and his friends often talk about the ups and downs of schools. He believes college preparation is often put aside simply to get young people to graduate high school.
“We have a policy that you can take a makeup test for a class any time before the semester ends,” Robert said. “That encourages laziness and people not to take the work seriously. It trades the potential long-term gains for a short-term goal.”
Robert wants to study business, perhaps earn an MBA. But after listening to Robert talk education policy, I wouldn’t be surprised if Robert’s name was one day on a ballot for the state Legislature or even governor.
He’s already gone from refugee to policy adviser in just 16 years. If he keeps climbing at that rate, who knows how high he can go.
Daniel P. Finney, the Register's Metro Voice columnist, is a Drake University alumnus who grew up in Winterset and east Des Moines. Reach him at 515-284-8144 or dafinney@dmreg.com. Twitter: @newsmanone.
An earlier version of this column incorrectly spelled the last name of Tony Voss, a Des Moines schools gifted and talented consultant.