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For St. Olaf College student Tazorodzwa “Tazo” Mnangagwa ’16, issues like terrorism and child marriage in his home country of Zambia aren’t simply things he’s reading about in the news.

They’re issues he’s analyzed and authored policy statements on as part of his summer internship with the National Assembly of Zambia.

The experience, supported with an internship grant from the St. Olaf Piper Center for Vocation and Career, has given Mnangagwa a front-row seat to Zambia’s law-making process.

In the past year, 146 St. Olaf students have received Piper Center funding for unpaid or underpaid internships. Another 47 students have received internship funding through college cohort programs such as the Rockswold Health Scholars Program and the Svoboda Legal Scholars Program. An additional 165 students earned academic credit for their internships.

Working in the National Assembly of Zambia’s Research Division, Mnangagwa has written policy statements for assembly members on topics ranging from “Terrorism: The Need to Enhance Global Cooperation Against the Threat to Democracy and Individual Rights” to “The Need to Ban the Indiscriminate Use of Private Firearms During Elections.”

These topics are then either be debated in the Chamber of the Zambian Parliament Assembly or discussed at national, regional, and global parliamentary forums.

Mnangagwa, a Davis United World College Scholar, has developed a strong passion for international development, particularly that related to issues of governance and public policy in the developing world. His interest began while he was a student at the Li Po Chun United World College in Hong Kong and has been fostered through a variety of classes he’s taken at St. Olaf.

His internship this summer has enabled him not only to see the theories he’s studied in action, but to take a hands-on role in crafting legislation that could instigate real change.

“My experience has sharpened my knowledge of government protocol and procedures and how the legislative system works in Zambia and other Commonwealth nations,” says Mnangagwa, who is majoring in economics and political science at St. Olaf.

He’s also come to realize that his work at the Research Division is essential in providing National Assembly members with up-to-date information.

“Everyone in Parliament represents the people and the country; therefore, it is very important that they have appropriate information in relation to Zambia’s development to disseminate and to ensure that there is oversight in Zambia’s governance system,” Mnangagwa says.

The internship has also provided multiple opportunities for Mnangagwa to network with influential policy makers. He’s been involved, for example, in the Southern African Development Community’s initiative to fund efforts aimed at eradicating HIV/AIDS in the region, a role that involves partnering with various stakeholders who have similar interests in the goal of Zambia’s development.

The most significant thing Mnangagwa says he’s taken away from his time at the National Assembly, however, is the opportunity to work and interact with smart, hardworking, and ambitious Zambians. These ordinary citizens, he says, truly believe in Zambia’s ability to achieve full political and economic development.

That patriotism has helped fuel Mnangagwa’s desire to return to Zambia after graduating from St. Olaf and contribute to the development of his country. He also plans on pursuing a master’s degree in public policy or in a field closely related to international development and governance.

“I believe that if young Zambians like me, who are studying abroad, do not apply our unique experience and education back home and contribute to development in whatever aspect, no one else will do so,” he says.