Malawi Student Profiles
Taking a USAP Zimbabwe as a perfect sample of assisting the students to achieve their goals, the USAP Malawi was started in 2006 with an aim to support highly qualified students who want to study in the US colleges and universities but have difficulties with financing their study. To date, four students have have come through the Malawian process and are now studying in the US.
Fumbani Chibaka
Gettysburg College '11
Fumbani was born and raised in Malawi, the warm heart of Africa. He is last born in a loving family of six. Fumba is currently enrolled at the Gettysburg College as a Biochemistry major and Computer Science minor. His hobbies include playing video games, playing intramural soccer, hanging out with friends and creating new stuff on the PC.
Fumbani completed his high school education at Viphya Secondary School in 2003. Upon graduating from High school; he was awarded a scholarship to study at the University Of Malawi College Of Medicine. Through the colleges' community health projects, he had first hand encounters with the failing healthcare system in the rural areas. He inspires to train as a research physician and be directly involved in the improvement of health services in developing countries. His wildest dream is to establish a medical school in Malawi that would help train medical personnel for the country and its neighboring nations. As he climbs up the stepladder toward his dreams, Fumbani is very thankful to have been in the experimental cohort of Malawi USAP.
"It was an amazing experience and a privilege to work with people who believed in me and made me realize of my potential just at the very moments when I doubted myself. The program also exposed me to opportunities and responsibilities that helped hone my personal development. USAP 06-07 was a self defining and maturing process!"
At the Gettysburg College, Fumbani is a lab assistant for a neuroscience professor. He is also involved in the International Club, Amnesty International, Disciple Makers Christian Fellowship, Biosphere, Skeptical Chemists and the Pre-Health Club.
Victor Kamanga
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
'12
The youngest child in his family, Victor is the first to make it to a US Institute, and probably the first Malawian to get admitted to such a prestigious institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), for his undergraduate studies. Born and raised up in a country everyone knows as the Warm Heart of Africa, Malawi, Victor did his secondary education at a local school, Phwezi Boys Secondary School. He graduated from secondary school with seven points (six points being the best a student can ever get), and in his year of graduation he turned out to be the Third Best Science Student at Nationally.
Now a freshman at MIT, Victor is considering a major in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Under this program, he is planning on taking what MIT calls the MEng Program. "The EECS Masters of Engineering Program is a five-year, combined, simultaneous bachelors/masters program in EECS. Think of it as a four-year bachelor's and two-year master's condensed into five or five and a half years." (Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer science.) Victor also has interest in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Should everything go as planned, Victor intends to do his first Summer Internship with either Boeing or Microsoft. And if there is a company that this focused future young leader has always wanted to work for at one point in his career, then it is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It has been his dream since when he was twelve.
Victor is also a strong supporter of the idea of going 'green'. Living in a world with a perfectly good weather is one thing he would ever want to experience. He thus plans to help effectively reduce the production of greenhouse gases, for the good of Malawi and the rest of the World. With a good degree of interest in avionics electronics, Victor would like to work as an Avionics Electronics Technician for one of the big aircraft industries—and as pointed out earlier on, Boeing is one such company. By doing so, Victor believes he will acquire enough knowledge to help him help boost the Aviation Industry in Malawi.
Tiamo Katsonga Phiri
DePauw University '12
Tiamo was born and raised in Blantyre, Malawi and is the last born in a family of three daughters. She did her secondary school education at Kamuzu Academy in Kasungu (Malawi), where she was actively involved in a variety of organizations including Entertainment committee, Student Christian Organization of Malawi (SCOM) and International Award. In her final year at secondary school, Tiamo had the privilege of serving as the Head Girl of Kamuzu Academy.
After completing her secondary school education, she eagerly looked forward to pursuing her tertiary education in the United States. She found that USAP was efficient and effective in her application process and it was a place where she found great encouragement and made many lasting friendships.
Tiamo is now enjoying her studies at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana where she is the first and only Malawian student to ever attend the university. She is a Psychology and Anthropology double major and has enjoyed active participation in many organizations such as WAMIDAN, International Student Association and Kappa Kappa Gamma. She has enjoyed internships in various parts of the country including working with The Centre for Victims of Torture in Minnesota and traveling with a group of student from her school on a Winter Term In Service Trip to The Philippines. She is currently looking forward to her upcoming study abroad semester in Switzerland.
She looks forward to a bright future in Clinical Psychology where she hopes to work with trauma victims in post war countries all over the world especially in places closer to home, The Warm Heart of Africa.
Felix Zungwala Gondwe
St. Lawrence University '14
Felix was born and raised in the warm heart of Africa, Malawi and he is the last born in a family of seven. He has three brothers and three sisters. He did his high school education at Likuni Boys' Secondary School. He is attending St. Lawrence University. Outside class, he spends his time playing basketball, chess, video games and if it's none of these, he is around friends, cracking jokes. He also has a passion of traveling and seeing new places.
He is a Computer Science and Economics double major, and hopes to integrate these majors and use the connection to implement something that will positively impact his family, community and country.
"The world is faced with many problems, and I want to be part of the solution even if it means going an extra mile to help heal the world problems. I believe that living is connected to giving hence I find joy in service of others. So I always strive to do the best in everything."
Before he came to the US, he volunteered at an orphanage as a teacher, where he reached out to kids with a vivid voice of love, faith and hope. This experience continues to have an impact in his life; he often spend time thinking of the orphans, especially the street kids. His life will not be at peace so long as many kids still live in dire situations.
Felix's experience in the US so far has been incredible and challenging. He loves getting into "fire and come out pure like gold than get burnt" experience, embracing the words of Hellen Keller, who said, "Life is a daring adventure or nothing."
His American friend, Kimberly Guillen once told him, "When you travel, you learn to appreciate more ideas and gain experiences that may enrich your life," for Felix being in the United States goes beyond getting a degree, he hopes to develop into versatile individual.
Allan Innocent Kawala
Gettysburg College '13
Allan was born and grew up in Lilongwe, Malawi, the warm heart of Africa. Since elementary school days, he has always been a good student and his mother has always been instrumental, giving him all the necessary support that he does well in all his academic work. After high School, he went to the medical school in Malawi and was there for two years, 2006 and 2007, but unfortunately, things did work out for him.
In 2008, he joined USAP and was part of an elite group of highly talented Malawian students. Allan applied Early Decision 1 to Gettysburg College and got accepted with full financial aid.
Since joining Gettysburg College, Allan has enjoyed each moment in this historic town. He has found the people to be very welcoming, and that has helped a great deal, transitioning into this new environment. Allan, a major in sociology, has had amazing experiences, both inside and outside the classroom. His professors are always pushing him to explore new things, and never to let his personal standards get in the way of understanding the ever-changing world.
One of amazing aspects of being at a liberal arts institution is the close relationships that students have with their professors, and he enjoy the deep and personal relationships that he has with his professors, especially those in the Sociology department.
In his freshman year, Allan worked as a research assistant for a Political Science professor writing a book about development of the White House staff and how President Obama is using the staff. Currently, he works as a Leadership mentor with Garthwait Leadership Center, a newly established center for leadership development at Gettysburg College. Also, he works as a Program Assistant with Eisenhower Institute and as an Admissions Student Program Coordinator in the Admissions Office.
Outside class, Allan is an active member of DiscipleMakers Christian Fellowship, Youth Action Africa Gettysburg chapter and Toastmasters Club. Off-campus, he volunteers at a local church as an Advisor to Middle School Fellowship and his role is to ensure that every child within the group feel valued and as an integral part of the church family. In spring of 2010, he helped and participated in a thirty hour famine, a World Vision drive, in which the middle schoolers joined other students around the world in raising funds that helped plant 3,800 fruit trees in Chikwina – Mpamba village, Malawi.
Upon graduation from Gettysburg College, Allan hopes to pursue a Master's degree in either Social Work and Humanitarian Action or Public Policy.