Kuda Chinyama can name his share when asked about significant out-of-classroom experiences at Furman. None, however, top the out-of-country experience that made them possible in the first place.

“One thing that I like about America is you can be yourself and find people who love you for who you are. It’s not like a single culture where if you come here you have to adapt and be like everybody else,” Kuda, a native of Zimbabwe, says. “Americans are used to hosting people from different parts of the world. I think that’s one thing that’s made it easier for me.”

Any help is appreciated when you’re more than 8,200 miles from home, but the relationships Kuda formed have turned out to be much more and rank as high as anything on the list of things he gained from Furman. His friendship with Alex Kramer ’18 and annual trips to Walt Disney World with Alex’s family stand out in particular. “I can’t imagine calling him a friend anymore. He’s more like a brother to me,” Kuda says. “They are wonderful people who have made me see life differently in many ways.”

Kuda was always intent on becoming an accountant. He cites an internship with Greenville firm Elliott Davis, which led to a job offer, as the most pivotal moment of his education – just ahead of a research project into microfinance success aided by funding from The Furman Advantage. “Overall, I’ve just ended up on the path that I always saw myself,” he says.