Friday, October 31, 2008
Ennie Ndoro didn’t know anyone in Kansas when she arrived at the University with her two children on a Fulbright Scholarship. She was the only student from Zimbabwe on campus — a fact that made her wonder whether it was wise to attend the University.
“I felt lonely,” Ndoro said. “I just missed speaking my own language.”
Ennie Ndro has been studying at the University of Kansas from Zimbabwe on a Fulbright Scholarship since last year. Ndro said it was hard for her to transition into living in the United States at first, but has become more comfortable since then. She said she planned to return to Zimbabwe eventually.
As a Fulbright Scholar, she came to the U.S. from Harare, Zimbabwe, in 2007 to pursue a doctorate degree in higher education leadership and policy studies. She is one of 30 students attending the University on a Fulbright Scholarship. She is not afraid to face American stereotypes of Africa or to talk about her country’s politics.
“I’ve never felt offended,” she said. “I take it as constructive criticism.”
She was an administrator of the Women’s University in Africa in Zimbabwe and taught gender studies before coming to the U.S. Her dissertation will compare women’s administrators in higher education in the U.S. and Zimbabwe.
Angela Lindsey-Nunn, Salina graduate student, said Ndoro stood out from the crowd before she became friends with her.
“She walks with this silence, air of nobility,” she said. “I was always looking for connection with strong women.”
Lindsey-Nunn said after she got to know Ndoro well, she was surprised how well she adapted to American culture and how much she achieved in school while raising children in a foreign country.
“I just think Ennie is one of those rare people,” Lindsey-Nunn said.
Ndoro said one of her life goals was to increase the number of female students and administrators in Zimbabwean universities, where fewer women attended and worked. She said after her graduation she wanted to return to Zimbabwe and design a leadership development program for women in higher education. She said she also wanted to develop more facilities for female students who have children.
She said she was not a typical Zimbabwean woman, because she had been always articulate and not afraid of speaking about issues that were important to her.
“When I was a kid, my father told me, ‘I don’t think you could be ever married,’” Ndoro said.
Jane Irungu, associate director of African and African-American studies, said illiteracy rates were high among women in Africa. Resourceful women like Ndoro, who is in a doctoral program, would help reverse that trend, Irungu said.
Along with her work and academics, Ndoro has been involved in organizations dedicated to women’s leadership and education in the U.S. and Zimbabwe. She recently participated in a conference in Chicago for African women living in the U.S. Using her experience as an international student, she works with the Emily Taylor Women’s Resource Center to design a mentor service for female international graduate students. She was an orientation leader for international students in the summer, and is treasurer of the Spencer Museum of Art Student Advisory Board to plan art exhibitions. She also taught part of a literature class offered by African studies.
Ndoro’s 14-year-old and 8-year-old sons came along with her to the U.S. Her 16-year-old son recently moved to the U.S. this summer. She left her husband and daughter home, but it wasn’t an easy decision. She said some family members pressured her not to go, but her husband always supported her.
“He said to me, ‘Getting a Fulbright Scholarship is a big deal. If you lose this opportunity, it’s something you will always regret for the rest of your life,’” Ndoro said.
Ndoro said she seized every opportunity to explore her academics, got involved in the community and learned American culture with the hopes that it could someday help improve Zimbabwe’s education.
— — Edited by Kelsey Hayes
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