Vusumuzi Dube
Sibongile Ndiweni, Sunday Life Reporter
MOTIVATED by her drive to inspire fellow students by proving to them that differences in academic performance and background do not have to get in the way of achieving their dreams, Nyaradzo Magungutsva, a Dominican Convent student in Bulawayo has been honoured for being the world’s best in Food and Nutrition in the 2022 November Cambridge Ordinary Level examinations.
The 17-year-old who aspires to be a renowned civil rights lawyer and who is inspired by the need to stand up for the rights of women and children proceeded to Advanced Level and is pursuing her Lower Six studies at the same school. Speaking to Sunday Life, Nyaradzo said winning the award meant so much to her as she now has a better chance at getting scholarships for university.
She said her coming out tops had drawn her a step closer to achieving her dream of working with the First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa on one of her national cookout initiatives.
“I admire her work so much because of the way she has managed to bring to the fore the preservation of our culture through the traditional food that is prepared during the cookouts.
The dishes are culturally relevant to the different communities that make up the country,” she said.
Nyaradzo said her success was not accidental but was a result of a combination of determination and a confidence building process that began at a later stage in her life.
“Growing up I wasn’t always the smartest person but because I believed in myself and put in the work, I managed to go from being in the last in class to attaining seven As and becoming top in the world in Food and Nutrition.
It feels unreal to know that perhaps one day my dream of infusing western cuisine and our traditional cuisine through the use of organic ingredients could become a reality because of this award,” she said.
Nyaradzo said after her education she hopes to start a non-profit organisation that houses and feeds women that are left out on the streets because of different circumstances.
“The nutrition and health of the community have always been a passion of mine and I hope that I can be able to put my knowledge about nutrition to good use by implementing feeding schemes for individuals who are not privileged enough to afford a balanced meal every day,” she added.
Nyaradzo’s mother also weighed in saying she was greatly pleased by what her daughter had done because she was never like that, but her determination and hard work has brought her that far. She highlighted how her daughter loved cooking and baking from a very tender age even though she seemed to be taking a different career path.
Online Reporter