After Learning How to Walk Again, a Senior Embraces Leadership and Law
A car accident left Latisha Lubega with a shattered pelvis as a sophomore. She graduates from Rutgers with a full-time job – and plans to attend law school.
During her sophomore year, Latisha Lubega was in a car crash that shattered her pelvis, forcing her to spend weeks in the hospital.
The Rutgers University-New Brunswick student missed a semester while she recovered and had to learn to walk again. Even with those setbacks, the senior is walking across the stage this month. (She technically graduates in August.)
“I’ve learned that whatever obstacle comes my way, keep going,” said Lubega, 21, an aspiring entrepreneur who founded a music label during her recovery before returning to Rutgers, where she has held leadership positions on the United Black Council, including her current role as president, and interned for the Paul Robeson Cultural Center.
“Don't let anything stop you,” she added.
Lubega, a first-generation college student who was born in Kenya and came to the United States with her single mother in 2009, is graduating from Rutgers Business School with a bachelor’s degree in leadership and management. She is taking a gap year after college to work full time as a legal assistant for Newark, N.J., firm Castor Law LLC while she applies to law schools.
On Dec. 2, 2024, a friend was driving Lubega’s car on state highway Route 18 in wet conditions heading toward Secaucus, N.J., when the vehicle hydroplaned into two poles ahead of the New Jersey Turnpike exit. While the driver and a backseat passenger emerged without serious injuries, emergency rescue personnel had to remove Lubega from the passenger side using “jaws of life” hydraulic tools.
Lubega underwent surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and spent weeks recovering at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital. She was hospitalized for about a month.
“They put two screws in my hips to fix the shattered pelvis,” said Lubega, who attended Fayetteville-Manlius High School near Syracuse, N.Y., as a scholar of the A Better Chance program. “I had to relearn how to walk. I went from not moving at all to a wheelchair, a walker, a cane and then I began to walk. I will forever be grateful to them because they rehabilitated me.”
Lubega, who couldn’t properly walk for four months, said she is now fully recovered.
Don't let anything stop you.
Latisha Lubega
Graduating senior at Rutgers University-New Brunswick
It was in the hospital where Lubega met Jakora Thompson, director of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center and “a great mentor throughout my entire college career.” Thompson, who learned of Lubega’s situation from the former president of the United Black Council, helped the injured student reschedule final exams and provided encouragement and understanding.
“Jakora actually visited me in the hospital and she met my mom,” said Lubega, adding that Thompson also is a first-generation college student who graduated from Rutgers. “She told me she had an accident when she was in college. She had shattered her whole collarbone. So, she really knew exactly what I was going through and she was a great help in supporting me.”
“Latisha is remarkable,” said Thompson. “She has overcome many challenges, like her car accident, and always maintained a positive mindset. She has shown so much resilience in her journey balancing her academics, working and family.
“She always wants to be a source of support for other students, connecting them to community so they don't feel alone. She is a connector and a bridge for others. I have loved getting to know her and watch her grow.”
Although her mobility was limited as she recovered at home, Lubega refused to sit idle. She founded No Dhambi LLC, a record label and artist development business.
“I speak Kiswahili and No Dhambi means ‘no sin,’” said Lubega. “I work with Christian artists. I work with R&B artists. I try to promote local New Jersey artists. It's a pro-social organization, so we work on giving back to the community and performing in local areas. But now it's kind of taking a pause because I'm pursuing law. I want to pursue law so I can better equip the practice.”
She added, “I feel like I used my gap semester really well because I was still connected through Rutgers and that's when I started my business actually during my recovery.”
Perseverance also played a critical role for Lubega when looking for work as a college student.
“I was applying like crazy and I was really struggling to get a job,” she said. “So, I was like, ‘Let me take matters into my own hands.’”
Her solution? Become a licensed life insurance broker.
She has overcome many challenges, like her car accident, and always maintained a positive mindset. She has shown so much resilience in her journey balancing her academics, working and family.
Jakora Thompson
Director of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center
“I had a friend who sold life insurance and he was like, ‘I can help you get certified,’” said Lubega, who works as a freelance broker for Family First Life, an insurance marketing organization. “It worked out really well because the law office that I work in, we do probate and estate planning.”
Lubega said her time at Rutgers and her experience serving on the United Black Council – “our objective is to bridge administration to the Black community” – ignited a passion for advocacy.
“I initially came into college more on an entrepreneurial sense,” said Lubega, who plans to study entertainment, family and personal injury law. “My objective was to join business-oriented clubs and be focused on my work outside of school. But I started learning the importance of working for your community, especially feeding into the community that feeds you.
“So, it really helped me not only apply my major, but I learned that I have a passion for advocacy. And now I'm pursuing law because of that passion.”
Her advice for college students?
“Don't put too much on your plate and remember to have fun during the journey,” Lubega said. “Find time to take care of yourself and have fun while you pursue that degree. But first things first: Get that degree. Don't forget why you came to college.”
