Like most international and first-generation students studying and working in the United States, I had to independently navigate and figure out a lot of “firsts” in my college and post-college journey. Through trial and error, I struggled through questions such as “How does one do ABC in the USA?” or “How does one navigate XYZ with DEF set of limitations only international or first-generation students have?” in topics ranging from understanding the American education system, choosing majors, finding and securing internships, preparing for job interviews, getting and transitioning jobs, navigating finances, immigration, getting good food, and (believe it or not!) dating. In my efforts to give back to my community while I was in college, I started mentoring high school students in Zimbabwe who were interested in applying to colleges in the United States. Then after college I added mentoring students on the aforementioned topics I had to figure out how to navigate on my own. What I didn’t realize at the time was that other fellow international students were also mentoring and assisting students in their spheres! Imagine my surprise when I realized that not only was I not unique; this type of network of mentoring was very widespread among international student communities! So, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a way to bring all these experiences and perspectives together and on paper, and share them far and wide so students from all walks of life and across the United States could access this information and apply other people’s learnings to their own situations?”
It turns out one of my longtime friends from high school had the same idea. This is how First Xperience: The Blog was born. We understand that in the world of social media there are multiple channels we could’ve chosen to disseminate this information but that is not our style (yet) and we hope there will be an audience for this in blog format. Our collective goal is to share our first experiences in different areas we navigated while living, learning, and working in the United States, in the hope that other students, not only international students, can use our experiences as a blueprint on how to achieve their goals. We also hope that if all goes well, we can bring in additional voices to the conversation so we can have a wide range of topics and experiences to share.
So, who am I?
My name is Persie Gijima. Born and raised in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, I attended high school at Kutama College before transitioning to the United States in 2010 to attend Amherst College for undergrad. I then got a master’s at Yale University (MPH in Healthcare Management) before working as a Healthcare Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting, a Finance & Operations Manager in the Operating Room at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and now an Analytics Manager at Premier Inc. Throughout the upcoming blogs you will all get to know more about me beyond my academic and professional background, and in the next blog, you will learn more about Aubrey, Senior Analytics Manager at Facebook, who will be co-authoring this blog.
While we are both from Zimbabwe and have both landed jobs as Analytics Managers, our current roles are very different, and so are the paths that got us here. And we believe that wherever you are coming from, and wherever you are looking to go, you will find some stories that will resonate with your situation and can use them to reach your goals.
So please join us in what we believe is our small way of giving back to the communities that have shaped our lives and the people we have become here in the United States. We are excited for this journey and hope you will reach out if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, and if you would like to support us, please hit the subscribe button so you can get our new blog posts as they come out! Happy Reading!
