When a viral LinkedIn post from recent graduate Maud Chifamba, WG’25, came across our feed, we couldn’t help but be inspired by her ambition and tenacity. We sat down with Chifamba in Philadelphia to learn more about her story, including how receiving support from MBA student experience funds provided by donors enriched her Wharton experience.

Tell us about your background. Where are you from, and what was your journey to Wharton like?

I was born and raised in rural Zimbabwe. From a young age, I was bright in school, but my family was poor, and I was also born into a patriarchal home. I made a decision when I was young that I wanted to be respected just like men would be respected, and I also wanted to get out of poverty, so I took school very seriously.

When I was eight years old, my family moved to an area where there was no formal school, so they had to batch a lot of classes together. And when I finished primary school, my family didn’t have the money to send me to high school. I ended up having to study by myself. It was supposed to take four years, but I did it in two. That’s how I ended up going to university when I was 14.   Read More