Congratulations Global Leadership November Graduates and Award Winner

Congratulations to graduates and award winner at our November Convocation

Congratulations to our November Global Leadership Graduates!

Royal Roads University and the MA in Global leadership program (MAGL) is also celebrating Rutendo (Faith) Zhungu for the Ted Wilson Memorial Award for Lifelong Learning, one of the 2024 RRU Convocation Awards. Rutendo has walked a long road. RRU’s stage is her opportunity to take in what has brought her to this place on the journey and for our community to celebrate, alongside students for their various achievements and accomplishments in making a difference.  

November’s convocation releases the Award. “The Ted Wilson Memorial Award for Lifelong Learning endowment was established in honour of Ted Wilson, father of Ann Kelly and Jane Davidson, father-in-law and dear friend of RRU President Emeritus, Gerry Kelly. Ted was an entrepreneur, artist, and sportsman in India, England, and Canada. Ted had an insatiable inquisitiveness for learning, having completed his last course at the age of 86 at Camosun College in Victoria, B.C. The award is presented to the learner who best demonstrates a commitment to lifelong learning”. 

Rutendo was nominated and won this prestigious award. For her formal learning journey, Rutendo graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Administration with a double major in Business Management and Development Studies, and in 2018 she also graduated with Honours in Development Studies. She is now celebrating 18 years later graduating with an MA in Global Leadership. Her informal learning has been supported throughout the last 20 years, where she also worked for NGOs and most recently for the United Nations where she was managing the budget and processing payments for UNIC. 

Rutendo completed a capstone project titled Challenges and Positive Experiences Encountered by Southern Africa International Students in Canada. She was eager to see people’s lives change for the better by helping them overcome poverty and enhance their human well-being.  She says that working with women and children primarily for developmental initiatives, inspired her to continue her learning journey to be able to do better at supporting people at the grassroots level in realizing their goals. Under the supervision of Professor Wendy Rowe, she aspired to learn about the barriers to their success and importantly the techniques students are employing to overcome issues, and for some, how they are thriving in a foreign country despite these challenges. Rutendo’s research offers several key recommendations for higher education institutions to support overseas students studying in Canada informed through her engagement with these students.