Georgia Tech students gain a deeper understanding of sustainable development through the Rwanda Study Abroad program. The embedded course program merges classroom concepts with real-world challenges. The majority of the class takes place in Atlanta, and students travel to Rwanda over spring break for experiential learning.

Valerie Thomas, Anderson-Interface Chair of Natural Systems and Professor at the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE), launched the program in 2020 to educate future leaders through research collaboration and global, context-rich experiences.

Through partnerships with the University of Rwanda and local institutions, Georgia Tech students learn directly from Rwandan faculty, students, and professionals working in sustainability.

“Direct engagement brings Georgia Tech students face-to-face with high levels of expertise and professionalism in Rwanda, and by extension in other countries,” says Thomas. “This program provides our students with greater understanding of how Rwanda is working on sustainability challenges. It also requires our students to up their game, participate at a high level, and adjust in real time.”

Over the years, Rwanda Study Abroad has evolved into a cross-campus initiative involving the Schools of Industrial & Systems Engineering, City and Regional Planning, and Modern Languages, as well as the Scheller College of Business.

In past years, the study abroad program primarily served undergraduate students. However, this year, the program has expanded with the addition of a concurrent graduate opportunity: the MBA International Practicum at Scheller College, which is a section of the Spring 2026 Sustainable Business Consulting Practicum, co-taught by Professor of the Practice Michael Oxman and Lecturer Bob Lax.

Oxman’s collaboration with Thomas on a National Science Foundation planning grant led to him co-leading a trip to Rwanda in 2025. On that trip, he met with clients and identified projects for the Spring 2026 practicum. He said, “Rwanda was a compelling new destination for MBA students in the International Practicum and I was pleasantly surprised by the interest of the 26 MBA students who participated.”

The interdisciplinary structure of the program allows students to examine sustainability, energy, development, and planning challenges from multiple perspectives.

“I enjoyed the presentations and meetings with the students at the University of Rwanda and the Rwanda Mining Board,” Franklin Heath, a fourth-year ISyE major. “It was interesting to talk with the students, see what projects they were working on, and learn about their classes. I realized that our lives are more similar than I had imagined. Also, the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum, and Gas Board (RMB) provided lots of insight into the mining industry and its logistics that I otherwise would not have thought about.”

Divya Cherukupalli, an Evening MBA student, wrote, “I chose to participate in the practicum because I wanted the opportunity to experience a different culture and understand how other countries approach sustainability compared to the United States. Being able to see these perspectives firsthand made the experience especially meaningful. The International Practicum was a truly transformative experience for me.”

Georgia Tech students move beyond observation and into deeper engagement through structured opportunities with Rwandan students, government officials, entrepreneurs, and members of local communities working toward similar goals. These interactions provide unique context and can shape how students understand challenges when they return to campus.

“I have seen students grow significantly – especially in their confidence. Their excitement about learning seems supercharged as well. I think all the students on this recent trip felt a deep bond amongst themselves and with the instructors,” reflected Tony Giarusso, professor of the practice in the School of City & Regional Planning and co-lead for the program. “Many of the student projects are set before we arrive in Rwanda, but our engagement with government officials and industry help fine tune student ideas while also providing them with field observation data and connections for data resources.”

Oxman agreed with Giarusso regarding the fruitful relationships in Rwanda. In the practicum, Oxman and Lax led students through a structured, hypothesis-driven approach to problem solving, and the students successfully leveraged that approach to add value to their clients’ objectives. Smayah Uwajeneza, a professional from Elevate Through Coffee, a client, wrote: “We’re proud to collaborate with the students in shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future, where knowledge exchange and partnership create real impact beyond borders.”

Other clients offered unsolicited testimonials (see Rwanda Energy Group, RMB, and Rwanda Polytechnic). These comments demonstrate the importance of sustainability not only for the good of society also for business value. Specifically, clients noted that the students’ work strengthens entrepreneurship, accelerates innovation, and delivers solutions that respond to the needs of society. They said the work also created actionable pathways for improving sector governance, increasing resource efficiency, enhancing economic returns, and turning research ideas into industry-ready solutions.

It was important to program leaders that students receive cultural insight and understand cultural continuity. While working with groups such as ESRI Rwanda, students and Georgia Tech as a global community build long-lasting relationships with local partners, helping participants develop a true understanding of life and the work being done in Rwanda.

Language and culture play a critical role in this process. Organizers emphasize the importance of linguistic knowledge and cultural awareness in accessing research, communicating effectively, and making informed decisions in international contexts.

“Language expertise greatly facilitates work on the ground and gives students access to significant research written in other languages than English,” said Christophe Ippolito, professor of French in the School of Modern Languages, who embedded the trip to Rwanda in the Africa: Serve, Learn, Sustain VIP. The course provides an opportunity for undergraduates from across Georgia Tech to engage in sustainable development research in the African context. He remarked, “I have been on the ground, having worked in Africa and visited 30+ countries there. So, for instance, I could tell students which kind of machine would work better for irrigation in some regions.”

Organizers agree that the program has led to students gaining a significant growth in confidence and teamwork skills, often producing strong bonds within the cohort, reinforcing collaboration and engagement, beyond the study abroad experience.

Oxman reflected, “From my career, having been a consultant on sustainable business in emerging markets, I know that the only way to truly drive business and sustainability is through local immersion and understanding. I’m so grateful to be able to facilitate this kind of experiential learning opportunity for our Georgia Tech students.” Oxman said he’s excited to be planning another international practicum in Rwanda in Spring 2027. 

Looking ahead, Thomas said she expects the program to continue expanding with additional pathways for undergraduate and graduate students, deeper collaboration with Rwandan institutions and other partners, and project formats that further integrate research, teaching, and global engagement.

“A hallmark of the program will be immersion and reciprocity,” said Thomas, who envisions the program expanding to Rwandan colleagues visiting Georgia Tech and an urban planning studio in Rwanda. “We have faculty across the Institute with the talent, knowledge, and capability to support students in study abroad in Rwanda. Drawing on the existing talent and expertise across the Institute is making the Rwanda program robust and multi-faceted.”