Tabyanele Mwenebenga recalls his resettlement in the Quad Cities and overcoming the challenges of his education journey. He shares his contribution to the QC community and what he looks forward to for the upcoming school year.

Amid finding a new home and adapting to a new culture, Tabyanele Mwenebenga also found beauty in where his feet would land.  

“My life was fantastic because of the beautiful culture; it doesn’t matter how hard it was,” Tabyanele stated. 

Tabyanele is Congolese. His parents fled the Democratic of the Congo to settle in Tanzania, where he and his siblings were born.  

Tabyanele spent over 20 years in Tanzania where he dedicated his life to learning and getting education. 

“My mom took care of us, we didn’t have to work, we just attended school,” he shared. 

Tabyanele’s education journey came to an end at Mount Meru University when his family was granted the opportunity to come to the U.S. in 2021.

While this was wonderful news for the family, Tabyanele was unsure how it would impact his education due to challenges and barriers around the culture, lifestyle and the language.  

The less traveled road

Upon his arrival in the U.S., Tabyanele had no intention of attending classes. The only English he knew was “good morning” and “good evening.”

Through the support and encouragement from his caseworkers at World Relief Quad Cities, he agreed to enroll in an ESL class at Blackhawk just months after his arrival.  

“When I started school, I tried to give up so many times, I told them I didn’t want to do it. [My caseworker Hanna] was behind me the whole time, telling me it’s important to go to school and to learn a new language,” he shared.  

Arriving in the U.S. at the age of 26, Tabyanele shared that it was tough to pick up a new language. “It was hard learning a new language because I was already in my 20’s,” he stated.

But looking back, Tabyanele has much to celebrate. “I started at level one with no English in 2021 and I got to level five in 2024,” he continued.  

The gift of knowledge

Because of his dedication and commitment to learning, Tabyanele is now able to help others who are walking a similar path as he once did.  

His language skills in Swahili and French also gave him an opportunity to serve new students.

In his free time, he helps “mentor and assists with assignments for adult ESL students through bridge classes offered by Blackhawk College.”  

Besides work and education, Tabyanele also plays an important role in the community, as a member of the Rock Island Soccer Club (RISC).  

His role at RISC includes “representing the team in community events, leading practices and games.” 

As he looks forward to the upcoming school year, he shares that he is most excited about taking typing classes and literature classes.

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Interested in getting involved with our Refugee Career Pathways program? Contact Kelly at Kwendt@wr.org. Or fill out the volunteer application:

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Kler Soe is the Communications Specialist at World Relief Quad Cities. She joined the team after graduating from St. Ambrose University in May of 2023 with a degree in Public Relations and Strategic Communication. As a refugee herself, she hopes to bring awareness to World Relief’s work through stories.