Immigrant from Burundi Proves “Anything is Possible,” Even Amidst Challenges

In 2011, at age 22, Prudent  Ndihokubwayo was able to flee violence in Burundi and move to Portland, Maine, which family friends said provided good public assistance. At first, Prudent felt lost. He was unused to the cold and unfamiliar food. Customs like shaking hands with a firm squeeze confounded him. He also spoke little English.   

“I spoke French, Swahili, and my own language, so I was trying to translate from those languages to English,” he said. “It’s hard when you can’t communicate.”  

But Prudent quickly discovered that Maine offered good French translation services at local government offices. With this assistance, he was able to apply for asylum and his work permit. He also met fellow Africans at the soup kitchen who were looking for a roommate. With stable housing squared away, he enrolled in English classes at the Maine Adult Education Center.   

Prudent read novels in English and fantasized about writing his own story one day. He built a strong support system by joining his church choir and the local YMCA. “It was so good to have people to practice with, to workout with, and to go out with,” Prudent says, adding that they checked in, asked about his mental health, and “helped me during that time in my life.”   

Once Prudent’s work permit was approved, a temp agency placed him in janitorial services at the University of Southern Maine. After three years as a part-time, overnight janitor, he was hired in a full-time position. The new job had an important benefit: two free classes each semester. After another year of English classes, he enrolled as a full-time student in 2016, eventually declaring English as his major.  

“USM really became my second home,” says Prudent, who fell into a daily routine of doing his homework in the library each morning before juggling work and school throughout the day. In 2022, six years after he started school, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree. He loves his work and was recently promoted to janitorial supervisor. He also dreams of becoming a writer. In fact, he’s currently working on his memoir.   

“I’m telling my story and everything I overcame as an immigrant, so Americans can have a better understanding of what immigrants like me go through,” Prudent says. “I want immigrants to see that anything is possible. I came from one of the poorest countries, and if I can do it, they can do it.”