Originally from Rwanda, Hycenta arrived in New Zealand from
Kenya in 2004. She is known as an ambitious, determined and able
young woman.
Her involvements are too many to list, but they were broad and
range from many sports teams and leadership positions within school
to the Duke of Edinburgh Award to performing in a Rwandan dance
group and Church commitments. Hycenta achieved NCEA Level
1and 2 with an Excellence endorsement.
Funded by Dr Beate Shuler, Hycenta is GNS Science's inaugural
First Foundation Scholar to work there as part of her paid work
expereince componet of the scholarship. "This is something we can
do in our world of science to help a local young person in the
spirit of 'thinking globally, and acting locally'. We chose Hycenta
Uwikunda especially because of her excellent achievements at
college, her realisation that science is not something that is
perfect but something that people work hard at, and her desire to
learn new skills by working with new people," said Dr Desmond Darby
of GNS Science.
Hycenta graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of
Biomedical Sciences and is currently completing a Masters in
Clinical Immunology.