Vanessa Anyoti

For most of us, deciding to go to college in the United States was not hard. In fact, it probably was not a part of the decision-making process at all. For Vanessa Anyoti, though, this decision was not only difficult but also impacted her entire life.

“I chose the United States because I believed I would be best prepared to work in my country after getting a degree here,” said Vanessa. Originally from Tanzania in East Africa, Vanessa began a broad search for colleges in the United States and United Kingdom after graduating from a missionary school. She turned to her family and teachers for guidance and learned about Geneva College from a counselor at her school.

As she researched Geneva, it quickly became apparent that the mission of the college matched her and her parents’ values. “It was important for my family that I go to a Christian school. And I wanted a school with a great sense of community, since I want to work with communities when I return to Tanzania.” In fact, Vanessa hopes to work for the Ministry of Public Health in Tanzania which is why she chose biology as her major

“I want to be able to provide basic health care to all areas of Tanzania and also inform people about measures that can be taken to reduce the spread of preventable diseases.” Vanessa’s clear passion for people does not stop there. She also finds time to work in the Admissions Office and was a Health Coordinator last year. In addition, she is a member of the International Student Organization.

Although Vanessa misses her family, she understands the importance of her education. “Kila jambo na wakati wake,” is a phrase from her native language of Ki-Swahili which means “there is an opportune time for everything.” According to Vanessa, “Now is my time to get an education so that I can go back to Tanzania and help the people there.”

- Christine Carugati ‘11

View other profiles