Mary Musoni is a lawyer and member of the Rwanda Bar Association and East African Law Society. She has more than five years of experience working for human rights. She is currently a legal aid attorney and coordinator of legal aid services for Legal Aid Forum, a non-profit organization in Rwanda. After completing the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, Mary hopes to continue her work with human rights with an emphasis on refugee rights and the rights of women and children.

What do you do in your home country and what do you hope to do upon completion of your Fellowship? In particular, with the integration of your experiences with Drexel University?

I am a lawyer by profession, and I work for a non-profit organization called the Legal Aid Forum, which facilitates the provision of free legal aid to people who cannot afford it. I am in charge of screening cases and recommending Legal Aid. After completing my fellowship, I hope to continue in the field of advocacy and legal aid, with a particular emphasis on refugee rights, rights of the disabled, women's rights, and children's rights.

What is your favorite thing about your home country? What are you most excited about learning about Philadelphia?

Favorite aspect of Rwanda is its organized leadership, which motivates its citizens and prioritizes its people above all else. That makes me happy. 

I want to learn more about the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, its history, and so on.

Do you have any hobbies or an interesting fact you wish to share about yourself?

I enjoy meeting new people and making friends, taking walks and reading.

If I were to come to your home country, what is the first thing I should eat?

Isombe it looks like a spinach dish, made with boiled and pounded cassava leaves and is very yummy.