Student Highlight Success: Jean Noёl Mugabo
Published: January 30, 2025 | Author: Abbie Cochrane | Read Time: 4 minutes
Cedar City, UTAH–
Southern Utah University is grateful to have scores of remarkable students from various unique backgrounds that brighten the campus–whether in person or online. Jean Noёl Mugabo is one such student. As a child, he survived genocide in Rwanda and and later moved to the United States in 2019. Now, he lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children while he works to get his Masters of Professional Communication from SUU Online.
Mugabo graduated in 2012 from the National University of Rwanda with a degree in Communication and immediately went to work respective jobs at a radio station and a news website. Currently, Mugabo works for the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS) which provides funding opportunities for immigrants and refugees who aspire to be farmers in the United States.
When asked why he wanted to pursue a master’s degree, Mugabo stated, “First of all, I love communication. In Rwanda, there aren’t a lot of universities, and with that, there weren't a lot of opportunities to get the degree I wanted, so I started looking at other countries in Europe, Germany, and America. The hardest thing about getting a degree in communication, though, is not being a native speaker of English and because of that, I almost switched to a Computer Science degree.”
After much deliberation with his wife and his religious beliefs, Mugabo ultimately decided he couldn’t give up journalism and communication. With that, the search for a master's program in communications began.
“One of the first things that popped up in my search was Southern Utah University. In less than a week, I was registered for the online program, and in less than two weeks, I was taking my first class,” said Mugabo. “When you’re meant to do something, it happens quickly.”
In addition to working full-time and pursuing a master’s degree, Mugabo has an equally important role as a husband and father.
“My wife has sacrificed a lot to let me do what I do, and I’m very grateful to her. The work/life balance is very demanding, but as you get used to it, it feels like that’s your life, and my wife is very supportive of me, so I owe a lot to her,” said Mugabo.
Sacrifice has also played a big role in Mugabo’s own experience as well. Having survived the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, seven-year-old Mugabo was raised by his mother after losing his father and brother to the violence.
“I was the fifth of six siblings–I had a brother who passed away–so it was very difficult for my mother to care for us. Being able to afford necessities was a struggle, and when I was 17, I decided to work myself and make my own money by working a bunch of different jobs,” Mugabo explained.
Part of Mugabo’s master’s degree requirements includes writing a thesis paper as he nears his graduation date. Mugabo’s idea for his thesis came from a course he took through SUU with Professor Kevin Stein called Qualitative Communication Research.
“It was one of the best courses, every single bit of that course resonated with me. By the end of the semester, I knew that was what I wanted to do for my thesis,” Mugabo said.
Mugabo’s official thesis, “The Role of Nonverbal Cues in Public Acceptance of Apology” assesses the contribution to which nonverbal cues in public apologies from celebrities enable the audience’s acceptance. Mugabo’s research explores how the delivery of a public apology can be positively or negatively received due to the nature of the body language, facial expression, hand gestures, tonality, and overall physical presence of the celebrity apologizing.
Throughout his time in academics, the most valuable thing Mugabo has learned is the difference between studying to know and studying to use.
“Some people study to pass a test by getting all the information in their head and then they go home and that’s that–they don’t think about it again,” said Mugabo. “I’ve learned from SUU the value of studying to apply what I’ve learned from watching how others use what they’ve learned or just from my own experience.”
Mugabo offers his gratitude to Professor Stein for his guidance and mentorship, as well as Professor Lijie Zhou and all the professors who’ve helped him on his academic journey. Mugabo also expresses his gratitude to his family for their love and support. SUU is proud of students like Mugabo who help expand T-Bird Nation across the nation and across the world.
SUU Online currently offers twelve unique master’s programs, including a Master’s of Communication. For more information about available associate, bachelor, and graduate programs, visit SUU Online.
Tags: Student College of Humanities and Social Sciences Communication CurStu T-Bird Stories SUU Online
Contact Information:
Brooke Heath
brookeheath1@suu.edu