Meet Martin Mazinga, a Nursing Student from Africa

Paint Rock High School had a special visitor Wednesday and Thursday from Africa. Martin Mazinga is a student in the nursing program at Angelo State University and he was invited to speak to all of Houston Hendryx’s government and world geography classes. “We had just finished a section on Africa. So heck yeah, we brought him over to school and he told us all about his life in Africa,” Hendryx said.

Martin’s home country is Malawi, a landlocked country in the central, eastern part of the continent, between of Zambia and Mozambique, and south of Tanzania.

The country is poor, Martin said, and relayed a story about his first time trying to operate an elevator. He said he pulled the fire alarm to hail the car. 

“You guys are growing up in an environment where you have everything. You guys are lucky because you know how to do things, like how to operate an elevator. You guys have no idea how much you have,” Martin said to the students gathered on the Tom Green County Courthouse stairs early Thursday evening for photographs and to say their goodbyes.

Martin leaves for Africa Friday for a short, seven-week visit home before returning to San Angelo to resume his studies.

Martin’s ambition is to become a Registered Nurse, or RN. In Africa, doctors are in very short supply, and a degreed RN can operate an entire medical clinic. In his village, the nearest hospital is 15 miles away. And since automobiles are scarce in his country, the most practical way to travel to the hospital is via bicycle.

At 12 years old, Martin experienced a tragedy that may have not happened if there was a clinic closer to home. His mom contracted Meningococcal Malaria and was rushed to the hospital. She died on the bicycle trip there. Over the years, that incident has haunted Martin, and solidified his ambition to obtain an education in medicine to build a clinic closer to home.

He arrived in San Angelo about three years ago under the sponsorship of a local doctor here and enrolled in Howard College’s Emergency Medical Technician, or EMT course. As part of the course, he participated on-the-job training with the San Angelo Fire Department’s EMS crews and met firefighter and EMT Mason Matthews.

Mason’s parents Randy and Kathy Matthews connected with the young man and offered their home to him, taking him in as their adopted son. The Matthews’ home has been Martin’s home in San Angelo ever since.

Randy said that both of Martin’s paternal parents are now deceased and Randy and Kathy had an empty nest, so both were moved to help Martin obtain his degree. To Randy, when Martin realizes his dream of  the clinic being built, his family will have impacted an area of the world in desperate need from right here in San Angelo. ““He really needed us at the time, and we just happened to be there at the right time, willing and able,” Randy said.

Adopting a foreign exchange student isn’t easy, Randy said. “We are basically his parents over here,” he said. It’s just like having a child of your own, where you share the struggles and challenges college life presents.  Despite the struggles, “it’s been pretty amazing,” Randy said.

One of the struggles that many parents of college students encounter are meeting tough standards, and ASU’s nursing curriculum is tough, Randy said. “ASU is very selective, and the test you have to take is a little bit biased against international students,” Randy explained. Martin didn’t make the cut to get into ASU’s RN program this year, so they are headed back to Howard College when Martin returns from his visit home.

Wherever Martin finally earns his degree, from Howard or ASU, Randy is confident it will fulfill the goal of sending his adopted student back to his home country as an RN. “BSN or ASN, it doesn’t matter,” Randy said. “Both hold the same validity in Martin’s hometown.”

Yesterday, the Paint Rock High School students presented Martin with a combined donation that the classes collected amongst themselves of $170, earmarked for Martin to throw a party for his village. “It costs about $30 for one goat,” an appreciative Martin said. “With this gift we will have a feast for 300.”

High school teacher Hendryx learned of Martin through Randy at church. Both are active members of Glen Meadows Baptist Church.