By Michael Ainomugisha
The morning of Friday, November 28, 2025, was a special one for the 580 students who were graduating at the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mbale University College.
However, to a selected seven students, there was all the reason for their smiles to linger longer than for the rest – they had earned First Class degrees.
Elsie Masette after the commissioning service at Uganda Christian University Mbale University College.
Elsie Masette, who was among the seven, possibly afforded the longest smile of the day. With a Grade Point Average of 4.68 out of 5.0, she was announced the overall best student. Masette earned a Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration. For a woman who had already lived a full professional life before stepping into a university lecture room again, that moment felt sacred. The applause and the recognition she got, she said, were deeply humbling.
“Sometimes it still feels like a dream. I knew I had performed well in my department, but to emerge the overall best, it is only possible by God’s grace,” she said during the interview she granted UCU Partners in late December 2025.
Masette’s story begins in Mbale, a city in eastern Uganda that she proudly calls home. She grew up attending local schools, often walking long distances to school.
Her academic path was not linear: For her secondary education, Masette attended Nabumali High School in eastern Uganda, Mende Kalema Memorial School in Wakiso District, Seeta High School in Seeta, and then sat for her A’level at Mbale Secondary School. After A’level, she pursued a Diploma in clinical medicine and community health at Kabale Institute of Health Sciences in southwestern Uganda.
Upon completing her Diploma, she was recruited as a clinical officer for Bulambuli District Local Government, in eastern Uganda. For several years, she served in different health facilities. During her work, she sometimes encountered patients struggling with mental health challenges, addiction and preventable conditions that traced back to poverty, broken social systems and unresolved trauma within communities.
“I realized that many of the sicknesses we treat in hospitals can actually be prevented. Much of what people suffer from starts from how they live, how they relate and the pressures they face in their communities,” she said.
Those experiences stirred something deeper. Masette found herself emotionally drained by the limits of clinical intervention. She wanted to reach people earlier, before pain became irreversible. That desire eventually led her away from the hospital and toward social work.
She credits her mentor and friend, Benard Wasike, with playing an important role in her transition. Through community outreaches, rehabilitation support and engagement with youth struggling with addiction, Masette discovered a different kind of healing.
“One day, Wasike told me: ‘you are a social worker at heart.’ He saw in me what I had not yet fully noticed,” Masette explains. Wasike is the Executive Director of Hope Mbale, an organization that works with vulnerable young people.
With that affirmation, Masette gained the courage to begin again. In September 2022, at the age of 37 years, with a family to support and years of professional experience behind her, she enrolled at UCU Mbale University College.
Choosing UCU was intentional. For her, the university’s Christian foundation mattered deeply. She desired an environment in which academic excellence was combined with moral development and spiritual foundation. UCU’s emphasis on faith, integrity and service aligned with her personal values and professional aspirations.
Elsie Masette with her father, George Masette.
“I needed an education that would ground me. UCU is not just about sharpening the mind. It shapes a person’s character, integrity and sense of service,” she says.
From her first semester, Masette felt affirmed in her choice. She says she encountered lecturers who were approachable, supportive and deeply invested in students’ growth. Chapel services, peer discussions and structured coursework created a holistic learning experience that went beyond the lecture room.
“There is no day I regret being a part of UCU; my expectations were met from the start,” she stated.
Balancing family and academic responsibilities required discipline and careful planning. Unlike many students, Masette came to university with a clear financial plan, having saved in advance and fully committed to the journey. Challenges came, as they always do, but she never missed an exam or deferred a semester. Academically, her excellence was consistent. From her first year, she maintained a GPA above 4.5.
One of Masette’s greatest sources of encouragement throughout the journey has been her brother, Samuel Elton Mubokie, who is also a social worker, and currently pursuing a PhD in the United Kingdom.
“He always challenged me. He would ask, ‘What’s next for you?’ He always pushed me to believe I could do more,” Masette says with a smile.
A deeply personal moment was what Masette’s father, George Masette, experienced at the graduation of his daughter. The 89-year-old Masette Senior had always followed sermons of the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda on television. As such, he dreamed of a day he would meet the prelate in person. Elsie once jokingly told her father that if she became the best student at UCU, he would meet the archbishop in person.
“That joke became real. When I graduated, my father met him,” she said.
Masette now hopes to pursue a master’s degree in clinical/community psychology and counseling, with the goal of joining academia. She envisions a future where she contributes to both community healing and the training of future social workers.
“I believe teaching multiplies impact. If I can teach others, then I can reach many more lives,” she says.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To support UCU programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Also, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
Discover more from Uganda Partners
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
