This column serves as a spotlight, highlighting the everyday people who work and live in Callaway County. The Fulton Sun takes a moment with someone who is not usually featured in the news, but is just as instrumental in making our community the strong and beautiful place we all know and love.
Ruramaimunashe Mutefura is a freshman at Westminster College from Harare, Zimbabwe. She is in the United States for the first time and is studying cybersecurity. She works as an assistant in the registrar's office at Westminster.
Q. What was your first job?
A. I worked as a data clerk at one of Zimbabwe's bigger commercial markets. My role was specifically to enter data from sheets of paper and all of that into the computer and organize and sort it. I think the experience was really good for me because it showed me the side of computers that I want to work in, and I got to work with IT experts and got to see the work first hand.
Q. Who most inspires you (living or dead)?
A. Fadzayi Mahere, she's a lawyer in my country. I feel inspired because she's one of the women who has stood up for women's rights in Zimbabwe. She reminds me that if I want to make change in my community, I have to rise up and speak up for what I believe in.
Q. What have you done in life that was most fulfilling?
A. For me, I was a mentor for young girls in a program in Zimbabwe. What we do is we help young girls age 13-14 and tell them how to like navigate life in situations. I thought it was fulfilling because I was able to implement wisdom and knowledge into someone else the same way I'd been taught. Seeing each one of them at the end of the program growing in confidence and excel has been fulfilling for me.
Q. What is something that you are proud of that you have been recognized for?
A. I feel like that's a little hard for me to choose, but probably getting my scholarship (to Westminster). I'm also like one of the first people from my family and my community to get this scholarship.
Q. What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?
A. I think I'd want to work in cybersecurity in the government. Data privacy has really become one of the main topics going on in this world. I just find it interesting there's different ways to protect our data from other people. I'd like to work in a government cybersecurity office.
Q. What profession would you not like to do?
A. I don't think I'd like to work in humanities or be a professor. They've just never been my thing, at all. Really anything like that, I don't think I'd enjoy.
Q. What is something that nobody would be able to assume about you?
A. I've got this really deep interest in business. A lot of people wouldn't know that I'm like really interested in science and the numbers, so I guess it kind of makes sense that I'm into business, you just probably couldn't guess it.
Q. What is your favorite thing about Callaway County?
A. What I like about this place is that it has this peaceful and calming environment. In addition to that, people are generally friendly, most people that I meet. I can say "hi" to most anyone, and they'll say "hi" back. It's easier to talk to people here.