Usap Zimbabwe Leadership
A leadership team that believes not only in itself, but in its people too. Leading students with diverse personalities from diverse background - with energy, passion and enthusiasm, the Usap Zimbabwe leadership team has managed to get the right things done and to inspire commitment and teamwork. Year after year this team's results get attention.
Rebecca Z. Mano, Founder & Usap Zimbabwe
Tapfumaneyi Muchenje, Usap Zimbabwe
Rebecca Z. Mano
Founder, Usap Zimbabwe
In 1999 Rebecca Zeigler Mano founded a small, ambitious but highly organized program called the United States Student Achiever's Program (Usap) in Zimbabwe. Primarily, the program's goal was to encourage and assist highly talented but economically disadvantaged high school graduates access scholarships and full-funding at top US colleges and universities. Starting off with 13 students, Usap has since grown into an international program spanning countries across the continents such as South Africa, Nigeria, Benin, Mongolia, Brazil, Ecuador, Estonia, Romania and The United Kingdom, among others. Rebecca's vision of educating the underprivileged has broken borders and through a dedicated network of Educational Advisors in various countries, USAP has significantly impacted the lives of the recipient youths. There are currently over 150 USAP students in the United States, most, highly dedicated to their communities, bringing about change both on their campuses and in their communities back home.
Rebecca is an Educational Advisor at the U.S Embassy Public Affairs Section in Zimbabwe. On a daily basis, she assists, informs and guides both school leavers and graduates who are interested in accessing an American education. For the past ten years, she has worked tirelessly to ensure students are accepted into U.S colleges with adequate funding.
Formerly an Oversees Advising Coordinator for NAFSA: the Association of International Educators where she served as the Liaison between the board and International Educators worldwide, Rebecca was elected Chair of one of only five of NAFSA's Knowledge Communities, a role she has held as of January 2007.
In May 2006 she received the Marita Houlihan Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Field of International Education from NAFSA. In 1999 she was recognized by the city of San Francisco, her hometown, and awarded the
Certificate of Honor from Board of Supervisors.
Humble and socially committed, Rebecca serves on the board for Chiedza Children’s Home, one of Zimbabwe’s oldest orphanages, located in Mbare, Harare. She is the current serving Chairperson for the Girl Child Network (GCN), an organization which works to inform, protect, empower and safe house young girls affected by sexual abuse and other forms of social victimization.
She holds a Master's in International Development Education from Stanford University, CA, and a B.A in Anthropology (magna cum laude) from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Rebecca is the loving mother of three beautiful girls, Grace, Esther and Margaret. Known as Mai Mano to many in Usap, she is a motherly figure to the students, and an inspiration to all.
Tapfumaneyi Muchenje
Usap Zimbabwe
Tapfumaneyi "Tap" Muchenje has worked at the U.S. Embassy in Harare since 1992. He started working at the Embassy as a receptionist. While doing that job, hebecame interested in Educational Advising Activities and Programs. He officially joined the Advising Program in the year 2000. Tap is the first contact for all student inquiries that come to the US Educational Advising Center. He is responsible for weekly presentations open to the general public concerning available resources including the membership program at the center and answering basic inquiries about studying in the US.
Tap participated in US Based Training in 2002 as well as in the African Educational Advising Conferences in Senegal in 2000, Ghana in 2001, Johannesburg, South Africa in 2003, and the NAFSA conferences in Baltimore in 2004, Seattle 2005 and NAFSA Montreal, Canada 2006 and Minneapolis 2007. Tap is the proud father of two young children. His interests include attending church, reading and helping students prepare for their future.