Madame Kalubi’s journey to Seven Hills and her impact on the community

By: Hasika Avanigadda, Maria Schaefer, and Lilly Battle

On a cold winter’s day, Madame Kalubi adventured to the U.S. without a word of English in her pocket. Since Madame came from the DRC, it felt below-freezing on that day in December. Madame said, “It was really, really cold.” Madame came by herself to join her husband at the UC campus, and Madame began her journey in the U.S.

Mushiya Musau Mulamba Jacqueline was born in the DRC. Madame Kalubi is the oldest of 10 children. Her parents were both teachers, so they traveled a lot. Did you know that Madame speaks seven languages? Have you ever wondered how she learned them all? “My parents moved a lot, so in every city we went to, they spoke a different language. And I learned, most my siblings didn’t, but I wanted to learn them,” Madame said. Her male cousins would come and live with her family so that her parents could care for them and pay their school fees. “Our house was always full,” said Madame. She said everyone would sit around and munch together. “It was like camping all the time. But that was fun,” joked Madame. 

Madame got the job at Seven Hills while she was studying at UC. Her department head said that Seven Hills had called, and they said they needed a Middle School French teacher. “The school called when I was studying at UC asking if your department could give us a reference. We need someone to teach middle school French. So I came here,” Madame said. Madame started working at Seven Hills in 1992 and never wanted to leave. “I hear horror stories about other places,” Madame joked.

Madame enjoys seeing her students grow. “You guys don’t know how much you change from 6th grade to 8th grade; it’s interesting to watch. Those who go all the way to 12th grade, just seeing the progression, I just love that,” Madame said. Madame gets to see her students learn more and more French and grow as individuals. Madame has even seen the second generation come through her class over the years.

Madame Kalubi doesn’t only love her community, they also love her. Mr.Waskowitz, the Head of the Middle School, said, “I love that Madame brings her complete self to work every day.” He also said, “She loves working with kids, she loves teaching French, she loves sharing her own culture and the elements that make her who she is.” Zahabia Shahpurwala, an 8th-grade French student, also said, “She treats her students like family.”

We know Madame as our Middle School French Teacher, but she has done much more than that in her 32 years here. “Over the years, I have worn so many hats,” Madame said. Madame Kalubi has been an Upper School Spanish teacher, did the yearbook, had an after-school sewing club, and even was a gymnastics and basketball coach.

She has also traveled around the world with the school. Madame said she has been to China, Italy, Belgium, France, and Costa Rica with her students.

It is clear that Madame Kalubi is a significant part of our school. “There would be a big gap in our community,” said Mr.Waskowitz if Madame Kalubi didn’t work here. 

“She runs the real talk program and diversity clubs, and she’s really involved in the community helping people who are less fortunate than us,” Zahabia said.

Madame Kalubi and Mrs.Suer made the Real Talks Series in 2019. She said they made it so that students are aware of their peers’ struggles and cultures. “You don’t know people or what they go through unless you talk to them about it. So we decided one way to kind of show diversity is a program like this,” Madame said. Madame is also very passionate about equality and social justice. “Madame’s always been an ardent advocate for social justice and for educating the community about what justice means,” Mr. Waskowitz said.

We all walked past Madame’s room and were pulled in by the mouth-watering smell of Madame’s beignets. But why does Madame make them? Madame said they are a staple food of the DRC. “We didn’t eat many cakes, so beignets are the thing,” said Madame Kalubi. Madame Kalubi also said, “When I teach, especially the culture part, most things are eurocentric. I want to give something that is not that.” The lure of Madame’s beignets has even reached Mr.Waskowitz. “I’m not a big fan of sweets, but when I can smell Madame’s beignets and the smell wafting down the hallway, I know it’s time for me to get down to Madame’s classroom before they are all eaten,” Mr.Waskowitz said. 

Her students are also big fans of her beignets. “She makes really good beignets. They’re really nice and sweet,” Zahabia said.

Madame is essential to the Seven Hills community. Madame spreads awareness of different cultural backgrounds and identities, which overall makes Seven Hills a more inclusive and comfortable environment for all. “Without Madame, this would be a very different place,” Mr. Waskowitz said.