Wayne State College
Menu

Student Spotlight: Azania Kumalo

Published Friday, January 31st, 2025

Azania Kumalo
Azania Kumalo

Part of the 2024-25 student spotlight series, featuring Azania Kumalo of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ask Azania Kumalo why she left her hometown of almost 5 million people to attend college, and she’ll list several reasons. The Wayne State junior from Johannesburg, South Africa, is the first subject of the Student Spotlight Series for the Spring 2025 semester.

When she was in high school, Kumalo said a United States recruiter visited Johannesburg to inform students about education opportunities in America.

“I always wanted to study in America, and I was really looking for a place with a small-town vibe,” said Kumalo, who has a double major in Business Administration (Economics and Finance). “I looked at colleges in Nebraska, Kansas, and a few other states in the Midwest, but Wayne State was the one that was most aligned with my major.”

Ironically, when she got to Wayne State, she met other students from Johannesburg that took the same path as she did; however, they didn’t know each other in Johannesburg. Currently, there are approximately 70 students from South Africa enrolled in classes at Wayne State.

“When we started visiting, we realized that some of us grew up about 30 miles from one another,” laughed Kumalo. “We had to travel more than 9,000 miles in order to meet each other!”

The small community of Wayne was also a factor in her decision, and Kumalo also noted that Wayne State’s small size has afforded her some opportunities she might not have received at a larger institution, such as working as a Navigator for Wayne State’s Admissions Office.

“Being a Navigator has been a fantastic experience,” said Kumalo. “Most people think that all you do is give tours of campus, but it’s allowed me to enhance my public speaking skills and boost my confidence. Giving tours is a great way to meet new people, but working behind the scenes has taught me a lot about the admissions process as well. Working the New Student Registration events in the summer also showed me just how much goes into the admissions process.”

In addition to being a Navigator, Kumalo is also currently working as a shift manager for the Wayne State Foundation’s phonathon, which runs through February. She is also involved in Future Business Leaders of America at Wayne State, and she served as co-coordinator of the Week of Welcome in August 2024.

Kumalo, who will graduate in May 2026, intends to pursue a career in finance and stay in the Midwest.