BRIEF PROFILE

My name is Richard MUGANI. Originally, I am a Burundian national, yes, I come from Burundi. I am speaking fluently Kirundi as my native language, Kiswahili, and Kinyarwanda as the languages of my region and then French and English as languages in which I studied. Currently, since 2012, I am studying in Morocco. I am in the final stages of preparing a Ph.D. degree in Microbiology at Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech. For most of my studies, I was taught in French as my predilection language. However, since English has also always been present in my education from secondary school on, and given that it is the world language of business par excellence, I liked it as soon as I learned a few words of it. Moreover, owing to the globalization of scientific research, English is the language of the first choice for scientists. In addition to being used to working with English texts in everyday life or even following conferences, and more specialized seminars in English, I consider this internship to be perfect for my learning. I am convinced that in such an environment I will gain more scientifically, professionally, and also credibly. Moreover, through this course, I also expect to improve by learning from the enriching experiences of other participants from all over the world. For me, no matter how good one's command of a language is, subtleties can always exist depending on the field of application. I agree with those who advocate that languages are the best weapons one can be equipped with. I strongly believe that mastering a language is his most precious asset. When I had just graduated from high school, I applied for a position as a communications officer in a company. Then on the day of the interview, we were 4 candidates to be interviewed at the same time around a table. I was the least qualified person for the position because all the participants had a master's degree in various fields, so I thought. In the end, I was the one who got the job because in addition to French that was required for the job, I mastered writing in English more than the others and I could speak in English more than the other candidates. As such, I am counting on this internship to deepen, sharpen, and expand my language skills, maybe as a translator or interpreter.

CAREER GOALS

Since I was very young, I always liked the way my teachers taught us new things so much that I wondered how they knew so much. As I progressed through school, from elementary school to high school, high school, and university, I realized that teachers didn't know everything and that each teaching level required more skill, more specialized knowledge. Sciences were my favorite subjects in the sense that they are not subject to ambiguity and confusion. I was much more passionate about mathematics. To this end, I set myself the ultimate goal of obtaining the highest possible degree in science so that I would be able to work on the problems facing my community, such as perpetual poverty and famine.

I have always been disturbed by the fact that my country, Burundi, one of the countries in the equatorial region, an area with the highest rainfall and therefore a region with abundant water resources, is not food self-sufficient and experiences persistent poverty. I have always believed that if I was sufficiently educated, I would be able to be one of those who would provide the solution. So I vowed to work hard at school to make it happen. Thus, after I graduated from high school, I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to attend university in Morocco. I didn't enroll in math class as planned in my initial ambitions, but I joined the university biology program, what could be better.

Keeping in mind the problem of hunger in my country -- when there are considerable spring water resources -- I pursued a specialization related to agriculture and obtained my bachelor's degree in Plant Biotechnology, and then a master's degree in Microbiology Applied to Production Biotechnology. Now, closer than ever to the goals I have set myself, I am preparing a doctoral thesis in Microbial Biotechnology. At the end of this Ph.D. program, I will have a wide range of technical skills to intervene at different levels to address the issue of poverty and famine in my country and surroundings. I am thinking in particular of different ways to contribute to this, notably through the transfer of my knowledge to others, the creation of my own business to better deliver adapted and well-customized solutions to specific needs. That said, setting up one's own business requires varied knowledge in addition to that acquired at school. That's why I believe that this training/internship through Modlingua will provide me with a vision of the business world that I will need to get started to be able to meet the needs of my clients. At the end of this program, I will have a wide range of technical skills that will empower me to look at problems differently and think critically of required solutions. I am motivated and open to learning new things.