Africa University grads determined to succeed
Graduates of United Methodist-related Africa University raise their caps in
celebration of their June 6 commencement in Mutare, Zimbabwe.
UMNS photos by Andra Stevens. |
By Andra Stevens*
June 6, 2009 | MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS)
Passion, prayer and hard work have paid off for Africa University student Tonderai Mutesva.
Of the 353 young people graduating this year, 310 received bachelor’s degrees and 43 were awarded master’s degrees.
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An economics major, Mutesva is one of more than 350 young people
awarded degrees June 6 during Africa University’s 15th Graduation
Ceremony. Mutesva left the university with a first-class degree and
awards that recognize his excellent academic performance and community
service.
“I’m quite happy,” Mutesva said. “This is something I have been
working toward for a long time, and now it’s happened! I guess it
happened because of a lot of prayer and because I went into a field I
was passionate about (economics).”
In addition to his studies, Mutesva was active in the Students in
Free Enterprise club, which offers business development support and
mentorship to individuals and groups.
“It was phenomenal helping other people see their potential and by
doing so, I also realized the potential that was within me,” said
Mutesva. “Now I am on the road to becoming a fully-fledged
entrepreneur.”
For Mutesva, that means expanding a small business that he started
with a colleague while at university. He is looking for premises for
the business, which sells imported gadgets and computer components, in
order to launch it as a retail enterprise.
Other graduates also expressed appreciation for their education.
“I have come to the realization that what makes us sweat is sweet,”
said Fernando Cortez, an Angolan who studied in the business faculty.
“We struggled for five years to get to this point and graduating will
be the best achievement.”
A fellow Angolan graduating student, Milca Antonio, paid tribute to
the United Methodist congregation that sponsored her education.
Tonderai Mutesva
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“I was on a direct scholarship from day one and this has been a
blessing to me,” said Antonio. “It is not everyone who pays fees for
someone they do not even know. From this scholarship, I learned that we
must have compassion and I have no doubt that in future, I will be able
to help other people unconditionally.”
That positive outlook shared by many of Antonio’s fellow graduates
is grounded in having survived difficult times. As they studied,
Zimbabwe experienced an unemployment rate of more than 80 percent and
the world’s highest inflation rate. Unemployment and inflation, coupled
with an extremely tight money supply, left families unable to meet
financial commitments.
In his final year, agriculture graduate Darlington Sabasi’s family
struggled to pay his tuition fees as Zimbabwe’s economy worsened. The
university had to step in with financial assistance to allow him to
finish.
Now, Sabasi is preparing to leave Zimbabwe to pursue a master’s degree in agricultural economics in the United States.
“Every group of graduates is special but many of the students in
this year’s graduating class faced and weathered some exceptional
challenges,” said Fanuel Tagwira, the school’s vice chancellor.
“Financing their education and remaining focused when things weren’t
going well proved impossible for some. Despite their best efforts,
sadly, they’re not graduating. For those who made it, the process of
achieving in these circumstances has certainly made them stronger and
more confident, personally and professionally.”
Noting that economic and social conditions in their various
countries are likely to test their ideas, skills and resolve to
succeed, Tagwira urged the graduates to “do good anyway”.
“Remember tough times are also times of great opportunity,” Tagwira said. “It all depends on your mindset.”
The vice chancellor’s message of encouragement to the graduates was
echoed in the commencement address given by Wilberforce
Kisamba-Mugerwa, a former agriculture minister and chairman of Uganda’s
National Planning Authority.
“Africa is the current frontier,” said Mugerwa. “It is the land of
opportunity. (You) should join in the fortune hunting and not leave it
to others. If the development of a country or a continent is left to
others, they eventually take it over.”
Darlington Sabasi
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Of the 353 young people graduating this year, 310 were awarded
bachelor’s degrees and 43 were awarded master’s degrees. Thirteen
African countries were represented in the graduating class—Angola,
Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia,
Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, the Sudan, Zambia and
Zimbabwe.
The university’s youngest teaching unit, the Faculty of Health
Sciences, celebrated its first group of graduates from the four-year
program in Health Services Management. A member of the pioneer class,
Tendai Paskwababira, was one of three graduates to receive first class
degree certificates from the university. (The third recipient was
Tatenda Machiri from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.)
This year’s graduating class brings the number of Africa university
alumni to just under 3,000. Africa University graduates are at work as
agriculturalists, pastors, educators and business, health and other
professionals in communities across sub-Saharan Africa.
Founded by the United Methodist Church worldwide in 1992, Africa
University was the first private university to open in Zimbabwe. It has
an annual full-time student population of 1,200 and offers degrees in
six faculties—Agriculture and Natural Resources, Education, Health
Sciences, the Humanities and Social Sciences, Management and
Administration and Theology; and in the Institute of Peace, Leadership
& Governance.
*Stevens is director of information and public affairs at Africa University.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
Africa University
Africa University Development Office
Apportioned Funds - Africa University Fund – Overview
United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry |