January 26, 2026 UPDATE: Help Me Stay On-Campus and Pursue My Dream of Becoming a Nurse Midwife

The first semester of college is one I will truly never forget. I had the incredible opportunity to join the Warren Wilson soccer team and even helped lead us to a milestone victory by scoring our first goal in four years. I pushed myself in new ways, volunteered at a women’s prison, and discovered so much about who I am and who I want to become.

In the middle of this amazing journey, I tore my ACL — an unexpected setback that required surgery this fall — but I’m fully committed to recovering and coming back stronger. I’ve also made an amazing community of friends and strengthened my long-term goals of becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), earning my Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and one day returning to Africa to support mothers and children in underserved regions by opening birth centers where families feel safe and cared for.

While my tuition is covered, my housing and living expenses are not. Warren Wilson is a heavily residential college, and living on campus is truly the heart of the student experience. Being in the dorms isn’t just convenient — it’s essential. Campus life is built around shared meals, evening programs, study groups, work crews, community events, and tight-knit relationships that are difficult to maintain from off‑campus housing.

Without additional support, I will have to move off campus after my freshman year. I am applying to be a Resident Assistant, but even with that position, a significant financial gap remains — and I am ineligible for student loans or getting a part-time job. My closest off‑campus option would require an hour‑long bus ride each way, making it extremely difficult to stay engaged academically, socially, and in the service work that is so important to me.

Your support will help me stay in the dorms, remain connected to my community, focus on my education, and continue working toward the future I feel called to pursue. Any contribution, no matter the size, means more to me than I can express. Thank you for helping me stay on campus and continue growing into the person I hope to be.

From Malawi to North Carolina: Help Pendo Get to College

Hi, my name is Pendo. I was born in Malawi, raised in South Africa, and now I’m preparing to begin a new chapter of my life in North Carolina. This fall, I’ve been awarded a full-tuition scholarship to attend Warren Wilson College—an opportunity I’m incredibly grateful for. At Warren Wilson, I plan to study biology with a focus on women’s health, driven by my passion to one day become a midwife or OB/GYN. This dream is rooted in a deep belief that every woman deserves compassionate, respectful, and informed care.

While my tuition is fully covered, I still need to raise funds to cover the essential costs that aren’t: room, board, health insurance, and basic living expenses. Without this support, I may not be able to attend. And if I can’t attend, I face the possibility of having to return home to Malawi—where, despite the strength and resilience of the people, the educational resources simply aren’t strong enough to help me reach my goal of serving women, children, and communities across Malawi and the African continent. This isn’t just about me—it’s about the future I want to help build for others.

Why I Care So Deeply About Women’s Health

I want to become a midwife or OB/GYN because I’ve seen firsthand what it means when women don’t have access to the care they need. I’ve seen pain go unheard. I've seen pregnancies become tragedies because there were no clinics, no support, no choices. I’ve also seen the strength of women who carry their families through poverty, loss, and survival, with no help and no voice.

Women’s health matters to me because I carry those stories. I want to be someone who stands beside women in their most vulnerable moments—with knowledge, care, and compassion. This isn’t a career goal. It’s personal.

A Little of My Story

I was born in a small village in Malawi, but my story truly begins the day my mother packed our bags and carried me onto a crowded bus to South Africa. She was leaving behind a life she didn’t believe could ever offer us more—leaving behind my father, who was already married to someone else. She had no job, no plan, and no place to stay—only the conviction that we deserved better.

That two-day journey changed everything. We arrived in Cape Town with almost nothing and slept in a crowded house called “the greenhouse,” where the roof leaked and the food was never enough. Later, we moved into a church when we had nowhere else to go. My mother cleaned pews in exchange for a place to sleep. I remember her praying every night with tears in her eyes, asking for just one more miracle.

And somehow, they kept coming.

Eventually, I enrolled in a Waldorf school, and it changed my world. For the first time, I felt seen—not just as a student, but as a whole person. I painted. I gardened. I learned. My mother worked constantly to keep me in school, even when it meant skipping meals or falling behind on rent. Then COVID hit, and everything fell apart. We had no choice but to return to Malawi.

I didn’t want to give up—but it felt like the end.

A New Beginning in the U.S.

Then something unbelievable happened. After months of searching, I was accepted to Maine Coast Waldorf School in the U.S. with a full scholarship. I packed my bags and left for Maine on my mother’s birthday. We cried at the airport, not knowing when we’d see each other again—but she told me, “Use your struggles to build your future.”

And I’ve tried to do just that.

In the U.S., I’ve thrown myself into every opportunity I could find. I’ve spoken at the New England Youth Identity Summit, worked with Valo, a nonprofit supporting youth through mentorship, and found family at Zeno Mountain Farm, where I help create inclusive spaces for people with disabilities. I even joined Maine’s U20 Ultimate Frisbee team—we placed fifth in the nation. And I won first place in Maine’s Poetry Out Loud competition.

But behind all of that, I’ve also been alone—navigating a new world without family nearby, trying to build a life while carrying the weight of what it took to get here.

Why Warren Wilson

Warren Wilson College feels like the next piece of the puzzle. Its commitment to service, sustainability, and social justice matches everything I believe in. I know that this school can give me the hands-on learning, the mentorship, and the space I need to grow into the woman I want to be—someone who returns to her roots, equipped to make a real difference.

I’ve already started my doula certification. I’ve completed my first workshop and plan to attend the required births and lactation classes soon. But I can’t do this alone.

What Your Help Will Do

Your support will help cover the costs that tuition doesn’t—housing, food, insurance, books, basic living expenses—all the things that make going to college actually possible. Every dollar gets me closer to the life I’ve fought for.

My student Visa doesn’t allow me to work in the US, so if I can’t raise the funds, I may have to return to Malawi where the future I’ve worked so hard to build may not be possible. I don’t want to give up. Not now.

Please Join Me

If you can give anything—$5, $25, $100—it will make a difference. If you can’t give right now, please consider sharing this story with your network.

One of my host moms is helping me manage this fundraiser. If we don’t meet the goal and I’m unable to attend, refunds will be available.

I’ve come a long way—from a leaky room in Cape Town to a scholarship in North Carolina. I believe in the life I’m building. I believe in the power of care. I believe that we rise, not just by dreaming, but by being there for each other.

Thank you, from the deepest part of my heart.

With love,

Pendo