MI-Sponsored Student Headed to Prestigious MIT
In 2003, the Mozambique Initiative hosted the Mozambican United Methodist Youth Choir on a 21-day tour through Missouri. Stella Machel and her sister Katia were a part of the six-person group. It was Machel’s first trip on a plane and overseas.
“The trip opened my mind and planted the grit I have to build relationships, serve God and fulfill my dreams beyond the borders of Mozambique,” Machel says.
That was only the beginning of Machel’s connection with the Mozambique Initiative. Years later, MI, Manchester UMC and the New York Annual Conference provided educational support to Machel as she pursued her master’s degree in finance at the University of London, which she says opened a gateway of global development opportunities.
This fall Machel begins the Master’s in Business Administration program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Machel is a first-generation college student. Her mother sponsored her studies until her second year of college, and her employer assisted with the final two years. The greater Mozambique-Methodist connection aided with her master’s program in London. A few years later the Fulbright Humphrey Fellowship Program funded a year-long fellowship for Machel at Boston University.
“At every stage someone invested their resources and beliefs in me, so I hope to give back by sending someone who does not have the resources to school,” Machel says.
Today Machel is an expert in her field, and she is passionate about using her work and education in service of others.
As the head of vehicle and asset finance at Standard Bank Mozambique, Machel feels a sense of responsibility to change the narrative for Mozambique through the relationships she builds and services she offers. Machel hopes to help reduce financial exclusion in Mozambique, smash the glass ceilings that keep women from executive leadership roles in the financial sector and elevate the worth of young Mozambican professionals through skills transfer programs.
“One of my dreams is to see the 30 million Mozambicans benefit from the resources the nation has,” Machel says. “I want to live in a country where we depend progressively less on external support to convert our resources into economic and social value.”
“I long to see people grasp the fullness of their worth and identity and of the love that God has for this nation,” Machel says. “I hope to see people becoming aware of their life purpose and owning their right to live a life that is meaningful and impactful to self and others and to achieve greatness. By greatness I do not mean big jobs or materials; I mean impact and service to others. I mean understanding that with what we have and with what we are, we were also called to write a story that will inspire and uplift others.”
Machel shares her story broadly in hopes that it will inspire others to their full potential. Specifically, Machel mentors girls and connects them to the sort of development opportunities that changed her life.
“Looking back ten years ago, my family was in a very bad shape,” Machel says. “I know what it means to live with less than a dollar a day. I know what it means to sleep on an empty stomach. Seeing real people who had overcome poverty inspired me to work hard to overcome my own.”
Stella was selected by her peers to give the commencement address upon the completion of the Humphrey’s Fellowship Program.