We are proud to have David Harimana named as Patrick Henry High School’s Student of the Month for January’s Kiwanis meeting held last month. Principal Listy Gillingham attended the meeting with David and said a hard work ethic, dedication to education, and overall solid character is what set him apart from other seniors at Henry. 

Harimana has run for the Patrick Henry cross-country and track teams since his freshman year. Coach Myette has worked with him in a variety of capacities and shared this account about him when recommending him for the student of the month: “David’s impact on the team was immediate. Along with a great work ethic, David’s passion, commitment, and sacrifice makes him a great teammate and leader. In addition to success on the track and in cross-country, David knows six languages, taught himself how to program in Java by watching YouTube videos, and built his own drone. If that were not enough, you can listen to his alter ego, DJ ProUp, who has created his own music videos much to the delight of his teammates, peers, and coaches (check out his YouTube channel). Immigrating to the United States from the Democratic Republic of the Congo via Uganda, David’s remarkable life experience carries over into everything he does. He embraces every opportunity with joy, laughter, and gratitude. It is therefore fitting that he be selected as the Student of the Month.”

David’s math teacher from his junior year also was taken by David’s focus, hard work ethic, and positive nature. “David spreads positivity and has an impeccable work ethic,” she reported. “He embraces the academic challenge, and the harder a problem or assignment seems, the more enthusiastic he was about tackling it. He actually let out an audible ‘yes!’ in math last year in his Advanced Integrated Math 3 class when they were doing something that appeared kind of ugly at first glance.”  

Another teacher reported that “David is the kind of student you think about when planning a lesson — the kind who gives it his absolute all and who you don’t want to let down by delivering anything but the best you can on any particular day, the kind who makes you feel like they deserve nothing than the best that you can offer. His presence makes Henry a better place and I can’t wait to see where his hard work and good attitude will take him.” 

Knowing that he immigrated to the U.S. in middle school and has recently become an American citizen through his journey from Mann Middle School to Henry High School, makes us all proud to know him and honor him as one of Henry’s best.  

—Elizabeth Gillingham is principal of Patrick Henry High School.