US-based Zimbo, Ruvimbo Violet Katiyo, Makes a Breakthrough in Fashion Industry

Below is an interview that I had all put nicely together:
Tuesday, 20 March 2012

by Aleksandra Solomatova (Sasha),Berea College Kentucky USA



With less than a year after attaining her Bachelors in Chemistry from Berea College, Ruvimbo Violet Katiyo, from Zimbabwe, is convinced that she is ready to conquer the world and keep flying her nation’s flag high. Jack-of-all-trades as we know her, Ruvimbo is also a designer, model, athlete and an artist. Being a trend setter she is, Ruvimbo used to play number 1 seed for Berea’s tennis team and was the first African at Berea to be awarded the Wilson Evans Tennis Award; a true reflection of her hard work and sheer dedication. As an Entrepreneurship for the Public Good fellow, she attended high profile conferences such as the Harvard Africa Business Conference in Boston and participated in the glamorous New York Africa Fashion Week. Ruvimbo is undoubtedly a phenomenal woman who works hard to make her dreams come true.

Tell us more about your life after Berea College.

It has been full of eye opening experiences. The biggest challenge I faced was making a decision to leave USA for Zimbabwe. My first stop was Johannesburg, South Africa where I was scheduled to start work but my heart was at home and I had a big vision and dream about things I wanted to achieve while in the Zimbabwean soils, so I left South Africa for Zimbabwe and never looked back. I always felt hugely indebted to give back to the country that raised me & cultured me into the person I am today, a nation whose cultural norms and values are embroiled in my heart & wrapped with red, green, yellow, black & white, the colors of Zimbabwe’s flag. When I arrived in Zimbabwe, I knew exactly what I wanted and went for that without blinking twice. I wanted to make a breakthrough in the fashion Industry and be a social entrepreneur and that’s exactly what I am working on right now. I haven’t fully established my empire, but um getting there.

What was the most profound experience for you at Berea and how did it impact your future?

Being at Berea College and in USA was very insightful on its own, however I have top encounters that really had a significant role in shaping me into the person I am today. Being selected to be an Entrepreneurship for the Public Good Fellow (EPG) in 2009 was definitely a big accomplishment for me. This prestigious feat opened so many doors of opportunities for me and it empowered me socially, economically and intellectually. It instilled in me the culture of entrepreneurship and groomed me into the lady I am today, very confident and hardworking. Attending the Harvard Africa Business Conference in Boston Massachusetts in February 2011 gave me an opportunity to meet and learn from leaders and entrepreneurs from all over Africa including Zimbabwe’s Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Arthur Mutambara. It was an eye opener and inspired me to dream bigger beyond just having a Chemistry degree. I was challenged to develop a mindset of an entrepreneur and to look around me for business opportunities I could pursue. My most significant accomplishment has got to be the prestigious Wilson Evans Tennis Award that I was honored with in April 2011. I couldn’t believe my ears when Coach Allen Jackson called out my name as the 2011 female recipient of the Award. Being the first African and definitely the first Zimbabwean to get that award, I was completely humbled and proud at the same time for flying Zimbabwe’s flag on the international platform. My name will be hanging in Seabury Centre’s wall of fame for ever; indeed what an honor for me and my country!

What was your dream career path at Berea?

To attain my Bachelors in Chemistry but during my second semester, I realized my real passion was in Art and Fashion and because of that, I started taking drawing and painting classes to perfect my skills in art while still focusing on my major, Chemistry. What are your future plans? None academic wise, I plan to take my passion for fashion seriously and launch my own label before the end of 2012. I am already working on the pieces as of speaking. I am also working with Plan International on some projects that are still underway and my plan is to reach out to more districts in Zimbabwe with the “Because I am A Girl Campaign”, inspiring and empowering the girl child to dream bigger and equip them with tools to become self sufficient. When all is said and done, I would like to get married and become a mother.

What suggestions would you give to current Berea students?

Dare to dream big! When you have a passion for something; go for it and don’t allow anything to stop you. When I made a decision to return back to Zimbabwe, some of my friends both in Zimbabwe & USA thought I was absurd and tried to talk me out of it. But I was very adamant and stayed resolute to my vision and what I wanted out of my life. Looking back, I am glad to say I have no regrets. I may not be doing huge “Oprah Winfrey” kind of projects but um slowly expanding my horizons and in no time, I will be where I want to be. I hope in a few years time, I will be an inspiration to other international students and challenge them to return to their home countries and be the agents of change they aspire to see. Life is not all about “the American dream”, we too can be trend setters and make it big in our home countries. Change begins with us as individuals and it’s up to us to make an effort and be the change we aspire to see in our communities.

Source: Berea College Alumni Web Page

Graduation

Raising the Zimbabwean Flag High with Terry Jones,fellow friend

May 8th 2011 marked my graduation day with my BA.Chemistry. I didn't get to write much or post many photos on the graduation ceremony but I will share some of my best photos of the day. Its only now when I go true some of my photos that I realize I only took a very few photos with my gown on. Most of the photos I simply had my cap and definitely flaunting my dress. I loved the dress so much, that I didn't want the gown to cover it up!



With a friend Nicole from Rwanda



With Triston Jones



Myself..Rue



Posing with Victoria Wreh, from Liberia

Summer/Spring must haves for GUYS!!!

I like the formal classy look but I think once in a while guys need to twist it up a bit and bring in that casual look. Mixing a formal blazer and denim, that's definitely a hit especially when put together nicely. And you can add some cool canvases to the look and that will be definitely dope!

Below are some of the must have shoes for guys during summer/spring. You don't really have to go for this exact look but something close or also the same style is a hit! You can done some canvases without going very far from the intended look!


Airwalk from Vixen



Vans courtesy of Vixen




Truereligon courtesy of Vixen



Stevemadden courtesy of Vixen





Keds courtesy of Vixen



Camper courtesy of Vixen

Actress Gabourey Sidibe in NYC!

Some of us fell in love with her in the movie "Precious" but she seriously needs to step up her style! um not saying she should go for all the overly expensive trendy styles,but she needs to figure out what hangs better on her go for it!

Royal Wedding 2

Every wedding, is a royal wedding; for we are all subject to the beauty of creation!




Every church wedding service has the same character, whether in a village church in the presence of 50 people or in a great church with a congregation of 2,000 and before the eyes of the world. The bride and bridegroom declare their love for each other and their commitment to one another before God and in the presence of their families and friends and they ask God's blessing on the whole of their earthly life together. Every wedding is special and gives joy not only to the couple but to all those who are present

Royal Wedding

Congratulations to the new Duke and Duchess of England

The more we give our selves, the more we receive. In marriage, there is no room for selfishness. Marriage should transform yourselves as husband and wife, guided by the Holy Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit lead you always. It is important to note that, in the business of this life you may loose focus on what is important. However, pray that the Holy Spirit may lead you always and help you to focus on what is important. May you have a spirit of love and sharing to those who suffer and to do the will of God always!

Rich Woman, Poor Woman: A poem from the Chilean Revolution

Rich Woman, Poor Woman




I am a woman.
I am a woman.

I am a woman born of a woman whose man owned a factory.
I am a woman born of a woman whose man laboured in a factory.

I am a woman who man wore silk suits, who constantly watched his weight.
I am a woman whose man wore tattered clothing, whose heart was constantly strangled by hunger.

I am a woman who watched two babies grow into beautiful children.
I am a woman who watched two babies die because there was no milk.

I am a woman who watched twins grow into popular college students with summers abroad.
I am a woman who watched three children grow, but with bellies stretched from no food.

But then there was a man;
But then there was a man;

And he talked about the peasants getting richer by my family getting poorer.
And he told me of days that would be better, and he made the days better,

We had to eat rice.
We had rice.

We had to eat beans!
We had beans.

My children were no longer given summer visas to Europe.
My children no longer cried themselves to sleep.

And I felt like a peasant.
And I felt like a woman.

A peasant with a dull, hard, unexciting life.
Like a woman with a life that sometimes allowed a song.

And I saw a man
And I saw a man

And together we began to plot with the hope of a return to freedom.
I saw his heart begin to beat with hope of freedom, at last.

Someday, the return to freedom.
Someday, freedom.

And then,
But then,

One day,
One day,

There were planes overhead and guns firing close by.
There were planes overhead and guns firing in the distance.

I gathered my children and went home.
I gathered my children and ran.

And the guns moved farther and farther away.
But the guns moved closer and closer.

And then, they announced that freedom had been restored!
And then they came, young boys really.

They came into my home along with my man.
They came and found my man.

Those men whose money was almost gone.
They found all of the men whose lives were almost their own.

And we all had drinks to celebrate.
And they shot them all.

The most wonderful martinis.
They shot my man.

And then they asked us to dance.
And then they came for me

Me.
For me, the woman.

And my sister.
For my sisters,

And then they took us,
Then they took us,

They took us to dinner at a small, private club.
They stripped from us the dignity we had gained.

And they treated us to beef.
And then they raped us.

It was one course after another.
One after another they came after us.

We nearly burst, we were so full.
Lunging, plunging – sisters bleeding, sisters dying

It was magnificent to be free again!
It was hardly a relief to have survived.

The beans have almost disappeared now.
The beans have disappeared

The rice – I’ve replaced it with chicken or steak.
The rice. I cannot find it.

And the parties continue night after night to make up for all the time wasted.
And my silent tears are joined once more by the midnight cries of my children.

And I feel like a woman again.
They say, I am a woman.

(This reflection was written by a working class Chilean woman in 1973, shortly after Chile’s socialist president, Salvador Allende, was overthrown.)