Habitat Kent was thrilled to host Baruani Amisi, the Bank of America Student Leader Intern, for a month this summer. Born in a refugee camp in Tanzania, Baruani attended Kelloggsville High School and Grand Rapids Community College. This fall, he’ll be starting as a student at Davenport University. His first-hand experiences as a child with the housing crisis and housing instability within neighborhoods in Tanzania inspired him to pursue a degree in business management, which he hopes to utilize in support of community development and real estate. He pursued this internship to gain an understanding of what it takes to build infrastructure for the communities he wants to help, like the costs and logistics.

“I chose to intern at Habitat Kent because it is a match made in heaven—this is exactly what I want to do in the future. My ideal job is working to put God’s love into the homes we’re building and everything we touch to ensure everyone can afford a home. I want to help people see that impact as soon as possible,” he told us.

His current professional goal is to become a property developer, and this experience has helped him see land beyond just its value as a plot. Through collaboration with our real estate and construction teams, Baruani got hands-on experience envisioning the future of a plot, looking at it beyond its present and to its potential. He worked on understanding city zoning laws and how they determine how many homes can be built on a single plot, conducted a site and building analysis, the building permits required, and learned about the types of funding that go into building a Habitat home. Barauni shared, “I was so surprised to learn how much the dirt beneath our feet is governed; there are so many zoning laws that go into building a specific building and what you are allowed to build on a specific plot of land.”

The Bank of America Student Leaders Program began in 2004 to prepare a pipeline of community-minded students to be successful in the workforce through leadership training and work experience. This annual program provides selected students with a six-week, paid internship with a national nonprofit organization and the opportunity to attend their Leadership Summit, which was hosted in Charlotte, SC. Barauni was one of 256 students selected and was the only high schooler chosen. This experience was a blessing, and he was truly grateful to be able to intern at Habitat for Humanity. “Habitat’s mission is important because it fosters community, and I have personally seen and known people who live in Habitat homes. It’s a privilege to actually own your own home; not everyone gets to do that, and Habitat Kent helps make the American dream of homeownership attainable.”

Habitat Kent was honored to have been chosen by our partner, Bank of America, to host such a bright young student, and we look forward to seeing where his journey takes him next!