US: She left impoverished home with just $14 in cash, now a doctorate in physics and successful engineer

By cornellcollege.edu

Fadzai “Fadzi” Fungura ’10 left her home and family in Zimbabwe to attend Cornell College in 2006 with just $14 in cash. She didn’t realize her Cornell scholarship was for tuition only, but after her host mother, now-retired Director of Student Health Services Nancy Reasland, helped her buy her first textbook, Fungura found a work-study job and soon was able to support herself on campus and send money home.

Fungura majored in math and physics and made friends she still sees today. She went on to earn a doctorate in physics from Iowa State University, to become a quality process engineer at Intel Corporation in Phoenix, and to help pay for a new house for her mother in Zimbabwe. She received a green card in 2019 and is in the process of becoming a citizen.

Why did you leave Zimbabwe?

I came from a very poor family. Both my parents were teachers, but my dad had another family—polygamy is allowed there, it’s normal—so he couldn’t take care of us. The five of us were on my mom’s salary. Then the economy started to decline. If I hadn’t come to the U.S., it would have been very challenging for me.

Why did you come to Cornell? 

I met an American woman who worked at the U.S. embassy. She saw a lot of potential in the students in Zimbabwe, and she started an organization (United States Achievers Program) to help. I was fortunate enough to get into the program, which provided study books for the SAT and paid for the exam. I saw a Cornell brochure in her office and I thought because I was very quiet and very shy, it might be best if I started off at a smaller college. I got a scholarship from Cornell. I’m very thankful for Cornell College, and for the scholarship, because it changed my life.

What was your journey to the U.S. like? 

Before social media, all we saw of America back home was New York, L.A., and Chicago, and I thought everywhere in America was one big city. I was still a kid, right? As I was flying I started seeing cornfields, and I thought, wait, this is America? Why am I flying into farms? I was fortunate that Ray and Nancy [Reasland] were there to pick me up. I stayed at their house for five days and was very happy and comfortable there. I was so nervous having to go to campus because everybody was young, excited, and talked so fast. I couldn’t understand everything. It took me about a year to fully integrate into the culture.

How has becoming a U.S. citizen changed you? 

Back home there was a certain path that people expected you to take. Here there are so many things you can do. So it has given me freedom, especially as a woman. In my culture women were expected to grow up, get married, and have children. And that’s it. It also made me grow up faster, as I was supporting my family back home. And it made me work harder. I had to make sure my grades were above a certain GPA to keep my scholarship. I was always afraid that if something happened, no one could be there for me. So I had to make sure I was fine financially.

What things do you like best about living in the U.S.? 

The culture I came from had very hard expectations. I was going to be a math and physics major, and I expected that if I declared a major, my advisor would say take this class, that class, and that class, and instead he [Professor Jim Freeman] said, what do you want? Nobody had ever asked me that question.

If you are a hard-working individual, opportunity will find you, and if you can prove yourself, you keep going up. I like the opportunities to make money–to become successful in my career choice. In Zimbabwe the economy became so bad even well-educated people have a hard time finding opportunities.

And then you are friends with people from many different cultures, and people make food for you. I’ve tasted food from everywhere and I love it. Entertainment has a bigger variety too. I like to dance, I like to work out, and to try different things like cross fit, yoga, cycling, and barre classes.

A woman of color in your job is unusual. How does that impact you? 

For Intel in the U.S. I believe 5% of the engineers are Black, much less for women. It is good for me. It puts me in a space where other people can see me and aspire to follow that path. I felt imposter syndrome in the beginning. You gravitate to people you feel comfortable with, but there aren’t that many of us.

Is the American Dream real? 

Having freedom has worked for me, especially, as a woman. The only challenge with the American dream that I see is that America encourages people to be in debt. I’m not in debt.

Do you ever regret coming to the U.S.? 

No. Never. Now staying here is a choice.