Nyasha Presents - Zim Beyond The Degree

Nyasha Presents - Zim Beyond The Degree

By Nyasha ZSociety & Culture
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Nyasha Presents - Zim Beyond The Degree episodes

  • 12. Nyasha with Rudo Mudzi on the art of going back home (Zimbabwe) from overseas (America)
    Welcome to the fresh, most progressively growing community of amazing young Zimbabweans in diverse professional spaces.  This episode we address one of the most difficult things to think about for everyone who's studied overseas.
     How do I go back home to Zimbabwe and reintegrate? How do I bring change but also recognize I too will be changed?   
    Who better to talk about that than Rudo Mudzi, MSc at Uni of Ediburgh, BA Physics Mt Holyoke, who went to work at Clinton Health Access Initiative in the Harare, Zimbabwe office some years after undergrad?  
    Transcript:
    0:00 Intro
     1:30 How Rudo is doing
     2:31 Difference between being at a girls high and being a women's college 
    4:13 Celebrating Africa Day 
    6:20 Rudo's return to Zimbabwe to work for the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Harare 
    11:41 Challenges Rudo faced working in Zim 
    13:54 The art of readjusting to Zimbabwe 
    18:20 Deciding on college major 
    21:35 The importance of getting research experience 
    26:00 If you wait too long to start graduate school, this may happen 
    27:47 What field would Rudo be in if she was not in Data Science 
    31:32 Learning that different people find meaning in different things in life 
    32:39 Rapid fire questions 36:00 How the norm is restricting ourselves to one job or profession 
    37:02 The seven spheres of influence - you don't have to settle for one field!
    40 min
  • 11. Nyasha with Jefta Jawi on what it takes to succeed in engineering, strategy in chess and draft!

    Welcome to the fresh, most progressively growing community of amazing young Zimbabweans in diverse professional spaces. 

     On this episode is fellow Quaker Jefta Jawi He works in Electronics Engineering at Cummins, loves watching football (supports Chelsea) and is a chess guru!  You can find him on LinkedIn - Jefta Jawi 


    Transcript:

     0:00 Intro 

    1:50 How Jefta is doing 

    2:27 How university education prepared Jefta for his career 

    3:22 Will Cummins get into the self-driving business 

    4:45 Most important skills to succeed in the STEM industry 

    6:30 Rapid fire questions 

    13:14 Jefta's approach to giving back to Zimbabwe 

    15:48 How did Jefta come to the decision of Electrical Engineering

    21:44 Has Jefta thought about other projects you might want to after retirement?

    24:50 How Jefta got introduced to chess? 

    28:47 Did Jefta entirely base his games on theory? 

    30:53 When, why and at what point did Jefta stop playing chess? 

    32:54 Rapid fire questions

    39 min
  • 10. Nyasha with Rutendo Chigora - What next after Rhodes Scholarship?

    On this episode is fellow Quaker Rutendo Chigora She's also been a recipient of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship She is currently an Investment Associate at Bridgewater and is keenly interested in finance and investing, economic development, and public-private partnership development.  She likes Winky D.  

    You can follow her on instagram: @ru_gram  

    0:00 Announcing podcast availability on all popular podcast streaming platforms 

    2:29 Fun activities for Rutendo to stay motivated 

    3:28 Navigating the finance industry as an underrepresented minority 

    5:28 Feeling pressure to outdo previous achievements 

    9:37 Interdisciplinary learning at Penn and ability to enter different career tracks 

    11:32 Keeping up with changes that happen in the finance industry 

    12:38 Fan favorite rapid fire questions 

    15:38 How the Dominican Convent experience was important to Rutendo's foundation 

    17:02 Rutendo's most perspective shifting year since undergraduate experience 

    19:42 Differences between Oxford and Philly - Philadelphia 

    21:43 Did Rutendo always know she was coming back to the US, when she went to Oxford 

    22:32 The US work ethic 

    24:17 Opportunity to work in Rwanda 

    27:11 Any hope of eradicating corruption in Zimbabwe 

    28:53 How Rutendo measures her success 

    30:26 Rapid fire questions 

    38:06 Outro

    39 min
  • 8. Christabell Zimunhu - Meet my sister!
    Resuming the series with my sister Christabell, Bella, Zimunhu  
    Transcript
    0:00 Introducing my sister, works at UNDP Masawara, studied Financial Engineering at Harare Institute of Technology and is one of the most candid people out here! We both went to Regina Mundi Girls High, and Nettleton Junior, which is really a primary school. 
    3:00 How Bella transitioned from a Sciences background in A level to taking on Commercials 
    6:30 How my sister has found her networks, whether family or friends really important in her career progression. 
    10:40 Opportunities that Zimbabweans can take advantage of  
    14:15 A quality that my sister has discovered about herself in the past year 
    19:00 What my sister is hopeful about in the future 
    21:30 Rapid fire questions with my sister
    28 min
  • 7. Nyasha with Nigel Chikwiramadara - Securing the package, going to study in Australia, Civil Engineering

    On this episode is Melbourne Polytechnic Civil Engineering (Australia) soon to be graduate,  who hails from Gweru, Nigel Chikwiramadara In Zimbabwe, he attended Fletcher high school.  

    You can follow him on instagram: @nygel_chikwira  

    Transcript

    0:06 How this series has captured the spirit of young Zimbabweans perservering, working hard and making something out of nothin 

    0:27 Star intro (once again from Gweru) 

    1:02 Our lives on the other side after graduating university 

    2:30 Nigel's university experience at Melbourne Polytechnic in Australia, studying civil engineering 

    4:52 Reflecting on some A Level decisions. Choosing 4 subjects. Rebounding after getting A Level points that wouldn't allow him to pursue Civil Engineering in Zimbabwe 7:48 Relationship with societal expectations/pressures. 

    10:46 New perspective on Zimbabwean education 

    12:21 Planning for your education early 

    13:04 Writing your vision for yourself down 

    14:19 Angela Kumirai pops up and asks a question for the Fletcher people 

    15:41 The process of applying to Australia Going to agencies in Harare, paying some fee. And putting in extra effort and time during the Upper 6 A Level holiday 

    18:24 How I got to the US 

    19:38 Fan favorite rapid fire questions 

    21:18 How people from Fletcher High School will remember you versus how people from Melbourne Polytechnic 

    24:00 The Prodigal son Going to Australia and feeling like the prodigal son But realizing God would meet him wherever he was in the world And so he would be ok. 

    32:13 Blacklivesmatter zimbabweanlivesmatter 

    37:00 Would Nigel still choose to do Civil Engineering

    44 min
  • 6. Nyasha with Dumisile Melody Mphamba - Life at Stanford University, giving back, leveraging network

    Welcome to the fresh, most progressively growing community of amazing young Zimbabweans in diverse professional spaces.  On this episode is Stanford University Human Biology graduate and incoming PM at Wikihow, Dumisile Melody Mphamba who hails from Harare.  In Zimbabwe, she attended Dominican Convent for both junior and high school.  

    You can follow her on instagram: @dumi_a_favor 

    Transcript

    0:06 Dedicating episode to Harare 

    0:27 Star intro 

    1:25 Dumi dishing on post graduation life 

    2:23 Dumi a brief autobiography. Growing up in Harare, attending Dominican Convent 

    3:19 How coming to the US, specifically Stanford happened 5:00 How Dumi decided on medical school and how stable she has been with that decision 

    8:23 Improving health care access 

    9:34 Leveraging relationships is so powerful 

    12:53 What were you grateful for at Stanford and what were some tough moments 1

    6:19 Parts of you that you thought to mute in college 

    18:48 High School Musical! Gabriella Montez and the Stanford dream come true 

    19:57 Fan favorite rapid fire questions 

    24:44 Do you think you felt a difference at all in Harare, being raised in a Ndebele speaking household? 

    26:11 Favorite memories in Harare, favorite place in Zimbabwe outside Harare 

    29:36 Who inspires you? 35:48 What do you want to be part of your legacy? 

    38:43 Compliment you get most from people

    44 min
  • 5. Nyasha with Methembe Moyo - All things Computer Science, tech, HBCU experience, growing up in Bulawayo

    On this episode is LeMoyne-Owen College Computer Science graduate and incoming APM at Lyft, Methembe Moyo who hails Bulawayo.  In Zimbabwe, he attended John Tallach High and Thornhill.  

    You can follow him on instagram: @methembe7 Also follow @byo_memes and @emziniwecode 

    Transcript

    0:31 Guest intro 

    1:39 How it feels to be done with college 

    2:58 Reality vs expectations of what college would be like 

    3:11 A brief autobiography of Methembe From John Tallach to Thornhill to UZ to LeMoyne-Owen College 

    9:00 Relating to the black/ African-american experience 

    10:27  What are you most proud of, looking at the past 3 months? 

    15:02 Never have I ever..... 

    24:12  Differences between experiences at John Tallach and at Thornhill High School 

    27:54 Role as an Associate Product Manager at Lyft 

    36:00 What do you want people to know about the city of Bulawayo?

    40 min
  • 4. Nyasha with Nicole Kumbula - Bates College Commencement Student Speaker, growing up in Chinhoyi, being intentional in college and graduate school

    On this episode is Bates College Chemistry graduate and incoming Masters Student at Texas A & M university, Nicole Kumbula who hails from Chinhoyi.  In Zimbabwe, she attended Langham Girls High and Monte Cassino Girls High. Notably, she was also Bates College's Senior Student Commencement Speaker.  

    Transcript 

    0:31 Guest intro 

    1:27 Nicole gives an update on professional pursuits 

    2:54 Leaning on fellow international students during the pandemic 

    5:28 Applying to graduate school and navigating a cutthroat system 

    7:41 Being intentional about decisions in college 

    9:51  How the pandemic influenced Nicole's decision between Master's and PhD offers. 

    11:25 Advocating for yourself and others 

    12:13 Has Nicole always been in some leadership role? How it all started with her being a deputy mom in primary school 

    14:59 Rapid fire questions 

    20:27 Being low income in college 

    24:04 Why study abroad while studying abroad? 

    29:18 We try to navigate Harare 

    31:39 Rapid fire questions 

    34:18 Having a support system

    42 min

About Nyasha Presents - Zim Beyond The Degree

From the publisher's feed

Nyasha is the host of Nyasha Presents: Zim Beyond the Degree, a podcast dedicated to exploring the inspiring journeys of Zimbabwean entrepreneurs, changemakers, and leaders navigating life after university. Although the podcast has been on a hiatus for the past year, it remains a platform for celebrating the hard work, courage, and hope that define Zimbabwe’s next generation.