“We’re praying for him, and hope that he is well,” says his father, Dr. Kabungo Mulumba. “Even though he’s so far from home, we know how important his studies are.”

JUMPING IN HEADFIRST

Unlike some international students, Mulumba has the advantage of having spoken English all his life—nevertheless, there were an abundance of opportunities for culture shock when he first arrived on campus.

“Annenberg food is...” he paused before continuing, “very different,” says Mulumba with a laugh, citing home-cooked Zambian food such as nshima, a popular cornmeal dish, as something he misses most. But a change in diet was just the beginning of the adaptations he has faced.

Across the board, academic life at Harvard has been a dramatic departure from his classes back home.

“Math here is much more than just calculations—there’s lots of conceptual and analytical work, too,” says Mulumba, a potential Molecular and Cellular Biology concentrator.

And while he describes his workload as “challenging,” he says he is on the whole doing well in the face of a slew of massive transitions both cultural and intellectual.

He also finds time for several extracurricular activities, such as volunteering for a Peer Health Exchange group with the Phillip Brooks House Association.

He attributes some of his success to Harvard’s academic support resources, saying “there’s always someone willing to help,” such as his freshman academic advisor, Professor of Biochemistry Guido Guidotti.

“It’s important that students have someone who will listen,” says Guidotti, an immigrant himself, who came to the U.S. from Italy in the 1950s.

“But Yanick has the energy and vigor to do things that are directed towards others, and that counts for a great deal.”

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

As foreign as life at Harvard initially seemed to Mulumba, he says that student groups and advisors have done much to make him feel welcome.

When it comes to helping international students ease into their new environment, University organizations like the Freshman International Program and the Harvard International Office have established a diverse set of resources.

For example, the Harvard African Students Association hosts a weekly dinner, complete with African food, that Mulumba says helps to foster a feeling of community despite the absence of other Zambian students.