By Madonna Borde ’21, staff writer
An international student from Zimbabwe who changed his major three times while at LVC managed to do what a lot of college students struggle with: find a job.
Shingirai Guchu, a senior actuarial science major, originally started off as an accounting major. He was also the first recipient of The Almond Tree Annual Scholarship Fund and lead the way for two other sub-Saharan international students to also attend LVC with this scholarship. Before settling into actuarial science, he was also a computer science major as well.
However, he said that he doesn’t regret not being an actuarial science major from the start, even though he found his niche. He said that his experience with his other majors felt like they made sense and now they’re applicable in his current major.
“I actually think I appreciate actuarial science more because I know what these fields do,” Guchu said. “I know what computer science is about, I know what finance is about, I know what math is about. Seeing how all these tools come together is just like the beauty of my life, so I’m glad I did.”
When he was still a finance major, Guchu attended a job fair primarily for actuarial science majors. The following year, he came back to the same job fair, now in the appropriate major and reconnected with some people.
From there, he was scheduled to have an internship with Willis Towers Watson, in Philadelphia, during the summer of 2020. Once the COVID-19 pandemic started, he was concerned that his internship would be cancelled, like so many others were. Fortunately, it wasn’t, and he was able to work completely remotely.
Of course, his missed out on some of the fun staying in Philadelphia over the summer, but he said that didn’t bother him either.
“I think [the pandemic] just really changed that I couldn’t be in the physical office, seeing my supervisors, my directors and just you know grabbing coffee with them and really talking to them in person,” Guchu said. “But I think I still made connections; I still have people who email me and ask me how my senior year is going.”
Like every other international student, Guchu had to be approved for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) in order to complete his internship. He is now waiting for his Optional Practical Training (OPT) application to be approved so that he can work for the company. Guchu is not the first, nor last international student to undergo this process.
Fellow international student and actuarial science major, Carlos “David” Campbell ’20, underwent almost the exact same process and now works for Willis Towers Watson’s New York office. Many international students apply for OPT in their senior year.
When asked if he had any advice for any other international students, especially seniors, Guchu said, “I think being yourself helps in attracting the people who have the same interests as you, genuine people in your life. And be patient with yourself, you will make mistakes.”
