A small African school house unlocked her future
- by Mary K. Pratt, Special to the Journal,
   Friday March 21, 2008

Janet Takaringwa will earn her MBA from Simmons College in August after two years of study and 28 years of unimaginable struggle and sacrifice.

Takaringwa grew up in one of the poorest areas of Zimbabwe. Her father worked in a factory and her mother sold homegrown fruit and vegetables. Takaringwa was the oldest child, and she found herself the head of the family when her parents died of AIDS when she was 15.

"Most of my family was gone, so I didn't have anyone to help me," she said, her voice faltering.

The children attended a bare-bones school, whose main objective was to teach students the rudiments of reading and writing. But Takaringwa saw in that school the key to a better future.

She continued her education, thriving at her British-style schools despite relying on donated books and materials and going without breakfast and lunch most days because her family didn't have enough money to pay for those meals.

Peace Corps teachers who taught a summer program in which she had enrolled, encouraged her, and one of them also introduced her to accounting, a subject that caught her interest.

Takaringwa went on to ace placement exams, enabling her to enroll in a two-year advanced high school. Around this time her parents died, leaving her to care for herself and her siblings. Still, Takaringwa remained determined to have a better life, and she enrolled in the University of Zimbabwe.

She graduated with a bachelor's degree in tourism and hospitality management in 2002.

"I knew my life would be changed forever. I knew I didn't have to worry about putting the next meal on the table," she said, only sad that her parents didn't get to see the results of their hard work.

She started working in accounting at the hotel. The same year she married Tawanda Gwena, a fellow Zimbabwean who was studying in the United States. Six months later she joined him here, and in October 2004 they had a baby girl.

Takaringwa wanted to continue her education. She took business classes at Tufts University's Fletcher School and then started at Simmons in September 2006.

Soon after, her husband moved to Atlanta to finish his studies at Georgia Institute of Technology. The couple decided to send their daughter to Zimbabwe, where his mother could care for her while they completed school.

After Takaringwa's husband finishes his studies in December, the couple plan to stay in Boston. Takaringwa wants to become a CPA and build career experience in accounting.

But she hasn't forgotten her family there. Her siblings, saying they were inspired by her, have either completed or are on their way to finishing college. And Takaringwa plans to help pay for the children in her extended family to reach such goals, too.