Georgetown student turns tragedy into triumph through liberal arts education at QF

 Renée Vongai Mutaree was born and raised in the small town of Gweru, a vibrant farming and business community in the heart of Zimbabwe, where she has dedicated her efforts raising awareness for a host of issues in her community.

Leaving home for the first time to start her college career at Qatar Foundation (QF) partner Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), Renée, a young Black woman, hopes to connect global solutions to local problems, and gain the skills and experience she will need to continue fighting for the issues she cares about.Renée learned the importance of social support systems in disadvantaged communities from her parents, and would often go to work with her mother, a nurse, to spend time with children with developmental disabilities who were “abandoned at the hospital by families unsure of how to care for them”, she said. At 14, Renée experienced a painful loss of her own. “My mom's sister died during childbirth from complications caused by high blood pressure. Her high risk condition should have been monitored, but she was living in a rural area and had no access to the regular health appointments available in urban areas.” That moment of grief drove Renée into deep contemplation of the connection between poor healthcare and adverse health outcomes, and the global reality, according to the World Health Organisation, that Black women face higher risk of death during pregnancy. “I felt so powerless at that moment. I resolved then that the health sector is where I belonged.” She became involved in healthcare related campaigns to raise awareness and as a foundation for her future plans to work in the healthcare field. She felt an added responsibility to advocate for her community, knowing that racism drives many of the inequalities in healthcare.While an intern in the US embassy in Zimbabwe, Renée met medical staff who introduced her to a field she hadn’t considered before: international medical volunteering. “One of the doctors was telling me about his experience during the ebola crisis. Despite the risks, he was so happy in his work, and I realized that this is what I want to do. When I’m passionate about something, I give 110%.”Globally, Renée notes, there is a shortage of healthcare workers and resources. The greatest impact is felt by low-income countries, and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in particular. According to the UN, volunteer efforts will be essential to meeting SDG Goal No. 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.Renée is committed to that effort, and plans to apply to medical school after graduating from GU-Q with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree in International Economics. Her education plans are helping to carve out a unique skill set that could help address medical as well as policy-driven structural problems. “I come from Zimbabwe. Everyone knows about the 2008 economic crisis. We have so many economic issues, and the problems in health and unemployment are all connected to it. If I can understand how it’s falling apart, maybe I can do my part in rebuilding it one day.” In 2022, the Georgetown community is celebrating the Spirit of Georgetown, a 500-year old educational tradition. Renée lives the values of that tradition through her fearless and inspirational dedication to overcoming roadblocks to equity and justice, and to improving the health and welfare of her community at home and around the world.