From Zimbabwe to the US: Kim Bhunu nearing final point as a Mustang

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Even though the final chapter in her incredible story still hasn’t been written, Kim Bhunu has already cemented her legacy as one of the most impactful student-athletes to ever come through the women’s tennis program — not only for her stellar play on the court, but for her selflessness and compassion off it.

During her five years at Cal Poly, Kim has truly experienced it all. She’s led the program to exceptional heights, fought back from a devastating season-ending injury and helped create a non-profit aimed at ending material poverty for families in Nigeria and Zimbabwe — all while being over 10,000 miles away from her family.

But she’s grateful for every step in her journey that brought her to Cal Poly.

“One thing I’ve realized is I’m very lucky,” Kim said about her time on the tennis team, “because not everyone gets to be a part of a team like this, that gets along so well and is like a family. I’ve just felt so loved because I feel like everyone has had my best interest in mind and wanted to see me grow.”

Kim has compiled quite the list of accolades during her time as a Mustang. She is a two-time All-Big West First Team selection in doubles and earned All-Conference honors in singles twice. Last season, Kim and doubles partner Emily Ackerman achieved a 14-6 record at the No. 1 spot — tied for the sixth-most victories in a season by a doubles pairing in program history — helping Cal Poly reach the Big West Championship match for the second consecutive year and finish with a 17-7 overall record, the team’s second most wins in a single season in Division I program history and most since 2003.

Kim is one of only seven players in program history to receive First Team All-Big West honors in singles and doubles in the same season and she is currently ranked inside the top 10 in school history in career doubles victories in dual matches and in doubles winning percentage in duals. She is also a three-time Big West All-Academic Selection and three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete honoree.

Kim grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe, which is where her passion for tennis was born. At a young age, Kim’s parents, Reghis and Shilla, wanted her, her brother, Vitalis, and her sister, Valeria, to start playing a sport, and fortunately tennis courts were close by. So, at about 4 years old Kim picked up a racket for the first time.

“Sometimes I would go to my older sister’s tennis lessons when I was super young and on her water breaks, I would just hit a ball,” she said.

Kim started actual tennis lessons at 6 years old. She loved following in her older sister’s footsteps and copying everything she did, so she was excited about getting into the sport, but even she admits it took her some time to become fully invested.

“I was a very lazy child,” she said jokingly. “I would try to avoid practices as much as I could. I would go to practices and hide in the bathroom and act like I had a stomachache.”

At one point Kim’s parents even considered switching Kim to golf, but her sister’s coach started giving her tennis lessons and things quickly changed.

“He didn’t take excuses,” she said. “I had excuses for everything on why I missed the ball and why I shouldn’t run around the court, so I’m very thankful I went to him because from then on I got way better.”

At about 14 years old, Kim discovered the ISP Tennis Academy in Biot, France through a fellow tennis player from Zimbabwe. Kim’s parents sent her to the academy for a month-long trial to see how she would like it, and she quickly fell in love with it. She received a partial scholarship, but not enough to cover the full cost of attending the academy. But Kim’s parents came up with a plan to make it work, and Kim couldn’t have been more excited for the opportunity.

“It’s something that felt surreal, like is this really happening because since I was young, I always wanted to leave the country and see new places,” she said.

Soon after Kim started school at the ISP Tennis Academy, it was folded into the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy — one of the most prestigious tennis academics in the world that is overseen by Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

Given Mouratoglou’s reputation as a coach, Kim saw some of the best players in the world come through the academy and train during her time there, including Serena herself, a 23-time Grand Slam singles winner, and Novak Djokovic, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles. If it wasn’t for a scheduling conflict with class, Kim would have gotten a chance to play a then 10-year-old Coco Gauff — a U.S. tennis star who is currently ranked No. 3 in the world — when she passed through the academy.

“Seeing these athletes that you grew up watching on TV in-person was mind blowing,” she said.

When Kim first joined the tennis academy, college tennis wasn’t even something she had considered. Instead, she had her sights set on going pro just like her older sister. Then at 16, she met Fanny Fracassi, a University Placement Director at the Mouratoglou Academy and former University of South Florida tennis player. She gave presentations at the academy about future opportunities, including playing college tennis.

After hearing how impactful the experience was from previous academy players, Kim was convinced college tennis was for her.

Fracassi had connections to Cal Poly after helping French player Antoine Noel earn the attention of the Mustang men’s tennis team in 2016. Kim said she was immediately drawn to the school thanks to the amazing coaching staff and the high-level academic programs. But there was only one problem — she wouldn’t be able to obtain a U.S. visa in time to visit the campus before arriving for her freshman year in 2018. So Kim committed to becoming a Mustang without ever getting a real look at her future home.

“Honestly, that was scary,” she said.

One of the first things Kim noticed when she got to campus was a lack of diversity. She wondered if she’d ever fit in, but fortunately the women’s tennis team welcomed her in with open arms and made her feel right at home.

“Coming here and having this whole different atmosphere was really hard to adjust to,” she said.

On the court, Kim was making some noise in her first handful of matches as a Mustang before she suffered a torn ACL in a dual against University of San Francisco just over a month into the spring season.

Over the next nine months, Kim battled to stay positive during the long rehab process. The extra time to think and separation from the team made life difficult and sometimes overwhelming. However, the time away from the court also helped Kim gain a deeper appreciation for tennis.

“I remember when I was coming back from my injury even playing for five minutes was so exciting,” she said.

Kim’s drive helped her return to the Mustang lineup early in the 2020 spring season, before the COVID-19 pandemic cut a potentially promising sophomore campaign short.

Fighting back from a devastating injury and then having a season taken away due to something out of her control was extremely frustrating for Kim, but she continued to persevere.

When Kim decided to move thousands of miles away from her home and attend Cal Poly, she left behind something extremely important — her family.

“I loved growing up in Zimbabwe. “One of my favorite things was going to my grandparents’ village because there was so much space, so much nature to play in. Life goes slower there than what I’ve experienced here in the U.S. and I was just surrounded by a lot of family, and family was a big deal.”

For Kim, the pandemic kept her from seeing her family for over two years. When COVID hit, her visa was expired so if she left the U.S. to visit Zimbabwe she likely would not been able to return because at that time embassies around the world were closed. Fortunately, she was able to see her parents this summer and they will be making the trip to San Luis Obispo in June to watch Kim receive her master’s degree in business analytics.

Kim said being so far away from family has never been easy to deal with, but the support she’s received from the families of teammates like Claire Bouquet, Shreya Ravilla and Melissa LaMette, and the Cal Poly coaching staff have made her feel loved throughout her time as a Mustang.

“I’ve had a great community around me,” she said.”I was able to create a family out of people that are very different from me, which is something that is beautiful to see.”

LaMette joined the Mustangs during Kim’s sophomore season and ever since the two have been pretty much inseparable.

“She’s my little sister basically,” Kim said. “I can’t imagine having the rest of this experience without her, she’s been a pillar in my life during my time here.”

In 2022, Kim, former teammate Laura Bente and Cal Poly grad Sunmisola Adeyemi created Craft by Jáde — a non-profit focused on bridging the opportunity gap for underprivileged people in Zimbabwe and Nigeria and ending the cycle of generational poverty in both countries through the selling of Afrocentric apparel.

The idea to start the venture began taking shape in the fall of 2021 when Kim shared her experiences growing up in Zimbabwe with Bente, and the two decided they wanted to find a way to make a difference.

“One thing we both agreed on was the reason we got to the point where we are in our lives was because of opportunities we were given that not everyone has,” Kim said.

In January 2022, Kim and Bente connected with Adeyemi, who at the time was looking to change her for-profit clothing business into a non-profit. Their visions aligned and Craft by Jáde was born, and the non-profit is already making a huge impact.

Kim has helped coordinate and develop an initiative to provide children in Zimbabwe with free tennis lessons from a professional coach. They are also working on building a court for a school there, and many of the tennis rackets and shoes the children are currently using came courtesy of donations from people in the San Luis Obispo community.

The non-profit is also working directly with a family in Nigeria to help lift them out of poverty. The incredible organization is overseen by a 16-member board, which includes Kim, Bente, LaMette and Kim’s sister. Kim, who also has served on the Cal Poly Black Student Union board, is the Chief Operating Officer.

“Growing up I always wondered why I was so lucky,” she said. “Why do I get to have this or do this but then others don’t have it. That was always in the back of my head growing up because it’s unfair, I get things that others don’t without even working for them. I always felt that I was given these opportunities so I could give back someday.”

With all these amazing pursuits off the tennis court, Kim has somehow found a way to strike a balance and be one of the Mustangs’ most important players on it throughout her career. Although, it’s been far from easy.

“Sometimes it’s just taking it day-by-day because it gets to be a lot but if you just remember your why I feel like you can get through a lot,” she said.

Kim already has a job lineup after college working for accounting firm Ernst & Young in San Francisco. The reality that her college tennis career is nearing the end is something Kim is struggling to come to terms with.

“I’m starting to acknowledge it more, but it still doesn’t feel like I’m leaving, it hasn’t fully registered,” she said. “One of the reasons I love college tennis and I can’t even imagine going back to playing individually is it’s so different playing for your friends and family. Tennis … is tiring on your mind, your body. But when you have a lot to play for, it just makes it more enjoyable, and I’ve loved that part of it.”

Tennis has played such an integral part in Kim’s life and allowed her to express her true self, which is something she’ll forever be grateful for.

“It’s been a place I feel most comfortable being myself,” she said. “Honestly, tennis has been a door opener for me because I can’t imagine being where I am today without tennis, all my opportunities have been tied to it. Tennis is just part of who I am.”