Mbabane native Nolwazi Ngwenyama named Office of Intercultural Education Fellow at Bates College

2014 Dec 1

Nolwazi Ngwenyama of Mbabane, Swaziland, has been named a student fellow in the Office of Intercultural Education at Bates College. Ngwenyama, a 2011 graduate of Waterford Kamhlaba United World College, is the daughter of Thabsile A. Khumalo of Mbabane, Swaziland. She majors in anthropology and politics at Bates.

Ngwenyama and her OIE colleagues provide their Bates peers with support on topics ranging from honing financial literacy to accessing resources for internships and fellowships. OIE Fellows were selected through a rigorous application process in spring 2014 to qualify for their fall appointment, and each provides support for fellow students in a specific area of expertise. Ngwenyama specializes in organizational success.

In addition to educating students about organizational success, Ngwenyama holds office hours each week, designs and implements programming, and partners with the office's professional staff in supporting Bates students. Fellows are often called upon to act as a liaison between students and Bates support services.

"The student who reaches out to an OIE Fellow might have a question at 9 o'clock at night," says Jessica Perez, assistant dean of students for student transition and support at Bates. "OIE Fellows can provide support and answers to their peers during after-hours times, when they might need it most."