Chasing the American Dream

FORT WAYNE- From a young age, Kudzai Toto has been dreaming big and putting in the work to make his dreams his reality. 

Born in Rundu, Namibia and raised in the capital, Kudzai learned from a young age the opportunities that lied ahead for him. Influenced by his father’s own education in the United States, he saw that the dream of studying in the states was possible. 

Growing up, Kudzai and his father played tennis for fun. When Kudzai started showing potential in the sport, his father pushed him to become more competitive in hopes to earn a scholarship to a college in the U.S. 

“At around 12 years old my father sat me down and spoke to me about the opportunity to play tennis and study in the United States,” said Kudzai. “I made that my goal. I went to boarding school in another country to enhance my education, athletic ability, and ability to stay away from home for long periods of time. I was away from home ages 13 to 19.” 

While preparing for such an adventure was tough, the people surrounding him were supportive and helped him push towards his goal. Many of his friends went to university right after high school, but Kudzai had to wait another 8 months to come to America. During that time, he prepared for his future but felt stagnant. His friends and family knew his plan and were there to support him.

“This was when I knew for sure that I was going to the USA, when I didn’t enroll in the local university with all my friends,” he said. “I watched them go to university, it was kind of hard seeing them progress when I was not in school, but my parents gave me everything I needed. My friends were all very supportive, it was a big decision to dedicate myself to this goal. I was happy and excited that they believed in my ability to do this, so further, I believed in myself.” 

Kudzai and his father went to a recruiting agent to get in touch with college coaches, but they did not consider his specific request regarding his degree biomedical engineering. Kudzai and his father decided to take the task in their own hands.

There was another layer to finding the right college. He was not able to meet coaches in person or experience the campus. That did not stop him from achieving his goal. His independence led him to the ability to speak with coaches himself at a young but confident age. 

“We did it on or own, we drafted an email and I contacted over 100 coaches,” he said. “I scheduled about 50 Skype conferences and talked with coaches myself. My father always made me speak for myself from a young age- I was made to do things by myself. It’s a big gamble for coaches to trust someone who they have never seen play, but my videos helped that aspect. I did virtual tours of campuses so I could pretty much be there without being there.”

On June 12th, 2017, Kudzai committed to play tennis and study biomedical engineering at Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

“When I signed, it was like all the weight was lifted off my back,” Kudzai said. “I told everybody about my plans, and I was very excited, it’s a big opportunity to come to the USA and to take advantage of the opportunities that it offers.  It’s important that I saw this country has the ability to take you where you want to go with hard work. This was a breakthrough for me to better myself. I feel like I have the ability to make a bigger impact in the world now after coming here to get an education.”

His dream was now achieved, he just had to get there physically. After signing, things started moving very quickly. He met with the embassy, was approved for a visa, and after a 45-hour flight, was picked up at the Fort Wayne International airport by an Indiana Tech employee. While achieving his goal after 8 years, the only thing in his way was getting comfortable at his new home.

“My ability to morph my environment into a place that is suitable for myself is what I did to help myself through the transition. My tennis team was a huge factor is giving me a family at Tech. We are all internationals, so we were all feeling similar ways. The juniors and seniors welcomed us; everybody wanted to help each other be as comfortable as possible because we were all in the same position.”

The message that Kudzai wants to share with other international students, or anybody wanting to achieve a big goal, is to work hard. 

“Hard work. You need to work and keep on pushing,” he said. “It’s going to be very difficult, but opportunities are not given to people who wait for them. They’re given to people who bust their ass off. You have to do more to get more. You will get what you give and reap what you sow.” 

Kudzai plans to further his education by getting a masters and Ph. D, possibly in America or Europe, and create a Biomedical Engineering program in his hometown Windhoek, Namibia. 

“I feel after a while, I will be well equipped with knowledge from my education and work experience to provide others an opportunity,” said Kudzai. “I will have met many people in the engineering world who can help me with this goal and give towards it. That is what I want to give back to the world and my home.” 

Achieving a goal of this caliber is not easy, but with support, hard work and the right mindset, Kudzai shows that it is very much possible.