Cleo Nkubito ’18
Cleo “Patrick” Nkubito ’18, originally from Rwanda, chose to attend SJA after studying in Canada for ninth grade, which was her first time living away from home. She quickly realized the importance of being in an environment where she could improve her artistic skills. She was drawn to SJA because it had a more robust arts curriculum.
Once at SJA, Cleo found that besides the arts program, there were many other things to like about the Academy, including the boarding program. She stated, “SJA was like a melting pot of a school. I met and learned a lot from people with different backgrounds than mine. There were many fun activities for boarding students, which helped us feel at home in a foreign town and country. We also had the chance to mature faster due to the sense of responsibility bestowed on us by our
dorm proctors.”
The boarding program had a lasting impact on Cleo, and she reflected, “Living on campus was a collective effort from both the faculty and the student body. Without the trust my proctors and head of boarding placed in me, I doubt I would be as confident as I am today. Being made a student proctor and given opportunities to design our dorm’s logo helped me believe in myself. In short, all of my dorm proctors and the boarding staff had a positive impact on me.”
Cleo’s favorite class at SJA was Fashion Design “…because I have always wanted to work in a fashion-focused environment. The fashion design classes at SJA were very advanced and have significantly helped me get to where I am today.” She was awarded the Fashion Design Prize on Class Day.
After graduating from SJA, Cleo attended Istituto Marangoni London, a private fashion university in the artsy neighborhood of Shoreditch, London. Cleo felt well prepared and said, “The transition was smooth because I had taken several fashion classes at SJA, which put me ahead of most freshmen in my foundation year.” She graduated from Istituto Marangoni with honors.
Cleo then applied for a styling graduate position at Burberry. She said, “I was selected from hundreds of contenders for a final-stage interview in September 2022. Unfortunately, due to a lack of work experience, the opportunity was passed on to a candidate with more experience. However, that was not the end of my career.”
Cleo continued, “I decided to leave the UK and move to Nigeria, where I immediately started working for a smaller fashion brand called Hue by Idera as a store manager. I worked there for ten months before getting another job at a reputable brand, Tiffany Amber. I was part of the creative team, helping design capsule and annual collections. After three months of intense designing and styling, I decided to move back to Rwanda and establish myself.”
Now, Cleo runs her own fashion brand, Charmille Couture, in her hometown, Kigali, Rwanda. She designs clothes and sells her handmade scented candles through this fashion and lifestyle brand. The brand can be found on Instagram @charmillecouture and @charmillescents.
Her passion for this work is evident. Cleo said, “A designer’s wish is to have a space to conduct creative research and bring dreams into reality. As a child, my biggest interest was playing dress-up with my sisters and cousins. Now, as an adult, I can play dress-up and create dreams that people can wear, while profiting from it as well. I see this as leading me closer to my current goals and objectives—to bring accessible and locally made high fashion to the African continent and put Rwanda’s fashion industry on the world stage.”
When asked what advice she would give to today’s SJA students, Cleo said, “The best advice I can give is to encourage all high school students to start taking their passions seriously and to figure out the best path for their future in order to build an enjoyable career around their inherent skills and passions.”