Rutendo Chitungo has a vision for nursing leadership in Belize where her father lives and where she herself worked as a nurse for several years. Rutendo was born in Zimbabwe, and when she was a teenager, her parents decided to immigrate to Belize to provide their daughters with a safer homeland. There the family integrated into Belizean life and soon three daughters were studying to become nurses. Rutendo, the second of two sisters to complete their MSN at TWU, is recognized as a nurse leader in her hospital in Belize City. Her manager there describes her as “one of the very best nurses I have; with qualities such as a willingness to learn and grow, an ability to think creatively, and skill in leading others”.
Rutendo faced the challenges of credentialing in Canada as an RN when she arrived, and persevered through upgrading studies and worked in various roles while also being immersed in graduate studies. Despite these challenges, she has been remarkably good natured and forward thinking during her two years of graduate studies. She exuded Christian joy, faith and love in her interactions with colleagues and professors. While she did not receive the MSN award for highest academic achievement, she has worked diligently and achieved very good academic standing (GPA: 3.52). Along with her academic achievement, her excellence is demonstrated in her vision, her perseverance, and her Christian character.
Two images of Rutendo stand out for me when I reflect on her outstanding tenure as a graduate student: first, during our health policy in Ottawa, Rutendo embraced the opportunity to learn about the Canadian healthcare system and was particularly tuned to policy related to people who might be marginalized. She also took full opportunity to learn about leadership (as we hope students do at the Laurentian Leadership Centre) with long, thoughtful conversations with speakers and faculty about how she might take more of a leadership role in her own country. Second, Rutendo carried through on this passion for leadership in Belize. She designed her capstone project to translate evidence about systems thinking into her hospital in Belize. Dr. Astle recalls how the project took shape:
Rutendo travelled to Belize to conduct her project and is the first nurse to have engaged in KT research in Belize. Her supervisor, Dr. Theron, says of Rutendo: “She has been offered various job opportunities and has been requested to come back to facilitate further training. She has demonstrated the potential and—indeed—the imperative for the nursing profession to have a stronger voice in healthcare in Belize”.
Rutendo’s father travelled up for her commencement ceremony, as he did last year when his older daughter, Rufaro, graduated from the MSN program. He is a man of faith, widowed four years ago just as his daughters were travelling to Canada to study, who has invested in his daughters for the sake of furthering God’s Kingdom, sharing TWU’s vision of “preparing godly leaders for the marketplaces of life”.
