Jess Lavallee

Staff Writer

Foran High School was lucky to have Daniel Trust, a Rwandan genocide survivor, visit on November 5. He was born and raised in Rwanda and now lives in the United States, where he is a motivational speaker who tells his incredible story.

Although his life may seem perfect now, it wasn’t always this way. Growing up, he dealt with hardships that no five-year-old should ever have to deal with. He watched his mother get killed right in front of him. His mom was a Tutsi and his dad was a Hutu. When the President was killed; all the Hutus thought it was the Tutsis, which was the start of the Rwandan Genocide. More than one million people were killed.

Both of Trust’s sisters and father were killed as well. Even though his dad was Hutu, their house was set on fire, destroying everything, including all of their belongings. After he lost his family he went and lived with his adoptive family who abused him for breaking plates by accident and not sweeping before leaving for school.

Trust came to the United States in 2005 when he was 15 years old, and his life changed forever. Not knowing any English, he was very timid and shy at first. He was bullied in school because of the odd uniform he wore and the people he hung out with. As a result of this, he performed poorly in school.  He relied on the people around him, like his teachers and peers, to help him get through his hard times. He always hoped that one day he’d go to a place where there is peace.

Trust constantly thought about ending his life but found comfort in his friend Zanis, who told him that he would always support his decisions in life.

When Trust came to the United States, he became very involved in his high school, Bassick High School in Bridgeport. He was captain of the volleyball team for his junior and senior year and vice president of his senior class. This all happened because he pushed himself. He also got a part time job at Old Navy during high school and rewarded himself for his hard work by buying his first car, a 1989 Ford.

Trust graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 2013 with a degree in business management. His mantra is, “Love is greater than hate. Hate destroys but love heals.”

Trust thinks it’s important to not be afraid to tell people how you feel and to always work hard because someday it will pay off.