Cyprien I.
Cyprien’s older brother is MindLeaps student Eric Hakizimana. Cyprien comes to class at MindLeaps every afternoon. He is so tiny but works so hard in dance classes. Cyprien has a pair of big tan jazz shoes and spends about 15 minutes before every class putting on layers and layers of socks so that he can dance in his jazz shoes.
Cyprien's Story.
Cyprien is 17 years old and joined MindLeaps in 2016 when he was just 9 years old, so he has grown up in the program. He is currently in grade 6 at Cyivugiza Primary School studying for his national exams. He lives with his mother and four siblings.
Prior to joining MindLeaps, Cyprien spent his time wandering his neighborhood selling scraps for money. However, he has now been able to put his previous experiences in the past, and his interests have drastically changed since joining MindLeaps as he was finally given the chance to live like a child. To begin with, Cyprien was not engaged in the arts nor was he interested in what the MindLeaps program had to offer him. However, the MindLeaps classes soon sparked a creative passion in him and now he loves to combine dance, photography, and videography! Cyprien’s interest in photography and videography came from one of our MindLeaps teachers, Olivier, who is also passionate about these forms of art. Olivier mentored Cyprien by lending him his camera and providing feedback on the photos that Cyprien took. He has really improved with Olivier’s help, and is becoming a budding young photographer!
Given his circumstances before he joined MindLeaps, Cyprien was not academically strong, but he has ability and is generally a clever child. This year, Cyprien joined the MindLeaps teaching assistant group. He has proved himself to be a great teaching assistant, particularly when it comes to observing, listening, and encouraging the other students.
In 2019, Cyprien did some classes with City Art – the international dance program in Kigali, where he had the opportunity to meet other young people like him. This opportunity reaffirmed his newfound interest in dance. He joined the MindLeaps performing group earlier this year and featured in a short video with Together We Remember on a performance about the genocide, focusing on remembrance and building peace.
Cyprien’s best friend is Justin, who goes to school with him and is the same age. They also live in the same neighborhood and love social media, so they spend a lot of time posting pictures and videos, since they are both interested in photography. They are never far apart and always know where the other is! They are real teenagers, wanting to explore everything, especially dance, photography, choreography, and teaching.
Cyprien is sociable and can adapt to any group situation. He is very grounded and knows what he wants – he is not affected by negative energy or behavior that other teenagers may become involved with. He focused in school and has good relationships with his friends. In the future, Cyprien dreams of becoming either a photographer, movie director, or a journalist!
Prior to joining MindLeaps, Cyprien spent his time wandering his neighborhood selling scraps for money. However, he has now been able to put his previous experiences in the past, and his interests have drastically changed since joining MindLeaps as he was finally given the chance to live like a child. To begin with, Cyprien was not engaged in the arts nor was he interested in what the MindLeaps program had to offer him. However, the MindLeaps classes soon sparked a creative passion in him and now he loves to combine dance, photography, and videography! Cyprien’s interest in photography and videography came from one of our MindLeaps teachers, Olivier, who is also passionate about these forms of art. Olivier mentored Cyprien by lending him his camera and providing feedback on the photos that Cyprien took. He has really improved with Olivier’s help, and is becoming a budding young photographer!
Given his circumstances before he joined MindLeaps, Cyprien was not academically strong, but he has ability and is generally a clever child. This year, Cyprien joined the MindLeaps teaching assistant group. He has proved himself to be a great teaching assistant, particularly when it comes to observing, listening, and encouraging the other students.
In 2019, Cyprien did some classes with City Art – the international dance program in Kigali, where he had the opportunity to meet other young people like him. This opportunity reaffirmed his newfound interest in dance. He joined the MindLeaps performing group earlier this year and featured in a short video with Together We Remember on a performance about the genocide, focusing on remembrance and building peace.
Cyprien’s best friend is Justin, who goes to school with him and is the same age. They also live in the same neighborhood and love social media, so they spend a lot of time posting pictures and videos, since they are both interested in photography. They are never far apart and always know where the other is! They are real teenagers, wanting to explore everything, especially dance, photography, choreography, and teaching.
Cyprien is sociable and can adapt to any group situation. He is very grounded and knows what he wants – he is not affected by negative energy or behavior that other teenagers may become involved with. He focused in school and has good relationships with his friends. In the future, Cyprien dreams of becoming either a photographer, movie director, or a journalist!
Support Cyprien: www.mindleaps.org/donate