All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. –Walt Disney
Sometimes to achieve a dream, drastic measures must be taken. Southeast Campus student Chipo Moyo’s dream of seeking an education in the U.S. meant leaving her native country of Zimbabwe. Her self-made video of her experience fulfilling that dream at TCC not only earned her recognition on YouTube—it also earned her a $500 scholarship.
Moyo was recently named third-place winner of the DREAM Big for College and Your Future video contest held by Achieving the Dream (ATD), a national nonprofit leading the nation’s most comprehensive non-governmental reform effort for community college student success in higher education history.
The video contest, which encouraged students to show off their creative talents and share their inspiring stories of completing college and pursuing their dreams, required students to submit their own videos about their dream job demonstrating how their community college is helping them achieve their goal. More than 100 video diaries were submitted, from which three grand prize recipients were selected in Jan.
“With almost half of our nation’s undergraduate students attending community college, it is important that their stories be told,” said Lauren Lewis, Communications Manager at Achieving the Dream. “Chipo Moyo’s submission did just that. We were so impressed by the inspiration and creativity she expressed.”
Moyo’s video, which has earned more than 500 hits on YouTube, tells a powerful story. Raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, an area of South Africa with a poor economy and few job opportunities, Moyo dreamt of seeking higher education in the U.S. and using it to make a difference. She hopes to one day open a school for the arts in Southern Africa and devote her time and talent “to pouring inspiration and hope to those that are broken, poor, hopeless, or have a dream.”
Prior to enrolling in the Business Administration program at Southeast Campus in the fall semester of 2012, Moyo studied psychology at the Women’s University of Africa and graphic and fashion design at Columbus College of Art and Design. In 2007, Moyo founded a company in Zimbabwe named Shiloh. It makes handcrafted luxury greeting cards and wedding invitations, life-size birthday cards, and African jewelry and provides private art lessons for children. Moyo considers herself a public speaker, actress, writer, musician and art teacher.
Moyo spends her free time creating artistic pieces such as oil paintings, pencil-drawn portraits and hand-crafted jewelry. She plans to use her scholarship money to purchase materials needed to complete her artwork, which she plans to showcase online soon.
Moyo says after all her struggles, her hard work is finally paying off.
“It took me 10 years to get to the U.S. to obtain my bachelor’s degree,” she said. “No matter what you’re going through, don’t give up. Don’t allow your past to dictate your future. ”
