James M. Rujimora, currently enrolled in the M.Ed/Ed.S in Mental Health Counseling through the College of Education at UF, was recently awarded first place in the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs (CACREP) Leadership Essay Contest. The essay contest is focused on the topic of the “servant leader,” those who have a genuine want to put others first. Rujimora’s essay focused on teaching others to take care of themselves.
The essay contest was held by Chi Sigma Iota International Honor Society and the CACREP, his piece will be published in CSI Exemplar, the CACREP Connection newsletter and at csi-net.org. Rujimora hopes that he will be able to advance studies and teach others the values of taking care of themselves.
“Personally, this award serves as motivation to continue working toward teaching, implementing, and advocating for self-care in my personal, academic, and professional life. Self-care is so important, and sometimes saying no to someone or something is saying yes to ourselves,” said Rujimora.
Rujimora believes that this award shows the strength of the counselor program at UF, and encourages those interested in coming to the College of Education to ask questions to make sure the program is the right fit.
“This award validates the quality of education and strength of program. The award demonstrates not only the hard work of students, but how influential a program can be to its surrounding community,” said Rujimora
James M. Rujimora
