Image Credit: Deb Grove
Elshaddai Muchuwa set a goal upon entering his first year of college: Live five lives in one semester.
鈥淚t took me the full year,鈥� the rising Franklin & Marshall sophomore admits, but he believes that he did just that.
The New Jersey resident originally from Harare, Zimbabwe immediately took up positions in numerous organizations during his first year, including social media coordinator for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, events coordinator for the Black Student Union (BSU), and member of the co-ed a cappella group The Poor Richards.
He also set his sights early on an intended academic path, declaring a major in government before the end of his first year. Muchuwa鈥檚 adviser, Professor Stephanie McNulty, recruited him for her research on the power of participatory democracy as a Hackman scholar, conducted after the close of the spring semester.
This summer, Muchuwa is returning to where his academic spirit first blossomed as an instructor with the . The program brings together international high school students from over 150 countries for an immersive pre-college experience emphasizing an open, exploratory and collaborative approach to learning. Muchuwa participated in the program as a rising senior in high school and was inspired to return as an alumnus.
鈥淚t feels obligatory,鈥� he says about instructing the next cohort of scholars. 鈥淸YYGS] is the reason I am here now.鈥�
Instructors with the YYGS program are selected from a competitive pool of predominantly Ivy League undergraduate and graduate students. They must propose seminar courses and construct curricula for the students to engage with in class and group discussions. Muchuwa is among the few instructors from the class of 2026 and even fewer from a non-Ivy League school.
鈥淚t is a bit intimidating,鈥� he admits. Despite initial hesitation, support and encouragement from Christian Perry, F&M director of DEI, inspired Muchuwa to make the most of the opportunity.
Muchuwa is teaching four seminar courses, with topics ranging from 鈥淢y Hair, My Crown: Politics Around Black Hair鈥� to 鈥淭he Democratic Backsliding in the Face of COVID.鈥� Muchuwa credits McNulty for helping him break down the complexities of the second topic.
He acknowledges that the courses contain some sensitive and potentially controversial material.
鈥淚 wanted to choose topics that are interesting [and may] make people uncomfortable,鈥� he says.
Many of the students in the program come from marginalized groups that are disproportionately impacted by the issues in question. Even so, Muchuwa hopes to teach the students to think critically and understand the different sides of these debates before coming to conclusions.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e touchy,鈥� he says about his proposed topics, 鈥渂ut I鈥檓 trying to leave [the students] with questions to start their college journey, rather than answers.鈥�
The range of academic interests Muchuwa pursued during his first year inspired the variety in his seminars.
鈥淎t F&M, I developed a mind of exploration,鈥� says Muchuwa. 鈥淣o one is doing the same thing at the same time鈥� that鈥檚 the beauty of a liberal arts education.鈥�
Muchuwa knows firsthand how to juggle academic interests; to complement his study of government, he intends to double major in cognitive science. Muchuwa affirms that if people had a better understanding of how others think, they would be more open to diverse viewpoints.
The most important thing Elshaddai Muchuwa hopes to teach the young scholars is moral
empathy and acceptance. 鈥淚n order to invite others into your world, you鈥檝e got to
open the doors,鈥� he says.
鈥淎t F&M, I developed a mind of exploration."