I go by middle name Dinah, but my given first name is Mbuyu, which comes from my native language, Kiluba. It means “waters of creation.” I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2000, and I am the last of eight siblings. In 2001, my mother found work in Uganda and took two of my siblings with her. There, I started to learn English. In 2006, my siblings and I moved to South Africa to live with our aunts and uncles and pursue a better education. My mom stayed back in the Congo.

The years in South Africa shaped a big part of my identity because I went to school with many foreign nationals. There were Zimbabweans, Malawians, and Nigerian people, to name a few. That was one of the main places that taught me a lot about diversity and accepting and respecting all cultures.

I moved to Utah in October 2018. Three of my siblings were already studying at Utah Valley University (UVU), so it was the obvious choice for me. I started school in the summer of 2019. I was very nervous when I first started because I didn't know anybody apart from my siblings. My biggest worry was not being able to adapt to the education system. To focus on adapting to school, I spent my entire freshman year not participating in clubs or events at all. I didn't know anybody outside my classroom, and I decided to shy away from everyone.

During my first year, I was the only female and one of two Black people in my classroom. I felt different because I came from living in a place where everybody was like me. It was the same at my workplace. One other guy, my brother, and I were the only African people working there. So, I wouldn't say that it's bad, but I did notice the difference — that here, we were in the minority.

Finally, I decided to start joining clubs and get more involved. That’s when I saw UVU in a whole new light. I applied to some different clubs and joined the the radio club, in which I participated for a little while. I also joined the Black Student Union (BSU), which probably had the most impact on me.

The Black Student Union gave me the opportunity to meet people and a sense of community. As a member of the BSU, I was also able to learn more about the United States since it's not just foreign nationals that are there but also people from different states. Since we highly value a sense of community where I'm from, it was the most important thing for me to find a community and people who were able to relate with me. UVU is a diverse community because we accept people from different backgrounds. Over time, I was able to find a place where I was comfortable. Now I am fortunate to serve as the BSU president.

Before I came from South Africa, I was majoring in mechanical engineering. When I got here, I realized I was not sure why I wanted to do that in the first place, so I started with mechanical engineering. I soon found mechatronics. I was immediately drawn to mechatronics because of the aspects of design and innovation. I am a creative person who likes painting and drawing too, so automation and the opportunity to invent and learn how machines work really resonated with me.

I am now a junior and surveying my options moving forward. When I graduate with my bachelor’s degree, I want to continue my studies and either pursue another bachelor’s or start a graduate program. Right now, I'm just trying to further my education.

I would advise people that have just moved to Utah from a totally different place to get involved. Like I said, I was very secluded when I first got here. That’s probably because I was afraid of what was out there. But there isn't a reason to be afraid because you find people who want to befriend you at UVU. So, join a club. Get involved wherever you can. Change can be difficult, but you don't have to go through that whole process by yourself.