Sibonisiwe Ngubeni

University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business

“Relentlessly optimistic, purpose-driven servant leader committed to making a positive difference in the world.”

Hometown: Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m a twin, but not the ‘do everything together’ kind. My twin brother and I have always lived separate lives with different interests, even though we are really close. People are always surprised when they find out that I have a twin.

Undergraduate School and Major: National University of Science and Technology – BSc in Environmental Science and Health – Zimbabwe

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: U.S Forest Service International Program and Trade – Zimbabwe Country Coordinator

When you think of Notre Dame, what are the first things that come to mind? How have your experiences with the Mendoza program thus far reinforced or upended these early impressions? When I think of Notre Dame, I think of a close-knit, genuinely supportive community, and a curriculum that weaves ethical decision-making into everything we do. Even before arriving, I saw Notre Dame as a place that challenges students to ask more of business and to use what they learn as a force for good. My experience at Mendoza has only reinforced that.

In a short time, I’ve been supported in ways that have made a real difference to my learning and confidence. The first semester came with so many opportunities to connect with alumni, and some of those early conversations have turned into ongoing mentorship as I prepare for my summer internship. I am also happy to have a career advisor who is always willing to make time, whether it’s for guidance, encouragement, or simply helping me think through next steps. Academically, the classroom experience has been exactly what I hoped for: highly interactive discussions, strong learning teams, and support that goes well beyond lectures through office hours and faculty accessibility.

Aside from your classmates, what was the one key part of the Mendoza MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The Meyer Business on the Frontlines (BOTFL) course was the one aspect of Mendoza’s curriculum that truly sealed my decision to choose Notre Dame. I still remember an early call with a member of the admissions team, where they spoke about Mendoza’s commitment to experiential learning and global immersion. They introduced me to BOTFL as a transformational experience where students partner with organizations around the world to develop local solutions that create jobs and support long-term economic growth. After that conversation, I did my own deep dive into the program and the projects past students had worked on, and I was immediately drawn in.

The mission and structure of the course felt deeply aligned with my own background in sustainability and social impact. In my role as a Country Coordinator with the U.S. Forest Service, I facilitated the deployment of technical expert teams from the U.S. to Zimbabwe to support local organizations with strategic problem-solving, closing technical gaps, and strengthening organizational capacity. As I learned more about BOTFL, I remember thinking, this feels like coming full circle. Except this time, I would be on the other side, as a student consultant, bringing a business lens to real-world development challenges. The idea of applying strategy, analytics, and operations knowledge to help organizations build sustainable, locally grounded solutions is exactly the kind of learning experience I was looking for in an MBA.

Being selected for the program has been incredibly exciting and knowing that I’ll be spending the semester working with my team on a live project makes it even more real. I’m genuinely grateful for the opportunity and, honestly, I’m super stoked.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Mendoza? Surprisingly, the course I’ve enjoyed the most so far at Mendoza has been Financial Accounting I & II (yes, I know). It has also been the most challenging class for me, but it was the one I genuinely looked forward to the most in my first semester.

The last time I had taken accounting was in my first year of high school, and I dropped it a year later to focus on science subjects, so coming into the MBA, almost everything felt new, unfamiliar, and at the same time, really intriguing. What made the experience so enjoyable was not just the content, but the way it was taught. Professor Mike Meyer’s passion for the subject is contagious, and his sense of humor made even the toughest topics feel approachable. You were guaranteed to laugh in class, even while grappling with debits, credits, and financial statements. It was challenging, yes, but in the best way. The kind of challenge that makes you excited to keep learning.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: One of my biggest career accomplishments was facilitating global knowledge exchange through my work with the U.S. Forest Service International Programs and Trade (USFS-IPT). In 2024, I led an arid-lands study tour to Jordan for a Zimbabwean (USFS-IPT) partner organization that was implementing a native tree reforestation project during a severe drought. The goal was for the team to learn from a Jordanian (USFS-IPT) partner organization that has successfully restored indigenous plants in one of the driest regions in the world. Being able to bring these teams together, support relationship-building across cultures, and see the Zimbabwean group return with practical lessons they could apply at home felt incredibly rewarding and remains a moment I’m most proud of in my career.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? My biggest accomplishment so far as an MBA student has been successfully navigating the transition back into the classroom after almost six years, while also adjusting to a new country, a new academic system, and the intensity of the first semester. Learning how to be a student again, keeping up with demanding coursework, maintaining strong grades, and at the same time showing up for recruiting, coffee chats, club activities, and community events has pushed me to grow quickly and intentionally. The ability to stay grounded, engaged and present through it all and still finding joy in the experience is my biggest accomplishment so far.

Mendoza is known as a purpose-driven MBA program that asks students to “Grow the good in business.” What is your mission and how has Mendoza been helping you realize it? My mission is to help translate purpose into practical, scalable solutions, especially for communities that are rich in potential but limited in access. I want to work at the intersection of strategy, operations, and social impact. In the process, I want to pursue a career in consulting where I can use data and business tools to help organizations move from good intentions to sustainable, measurable outcomes. Mendoza has been instrumental in helping me refine this mission. Through a curriculum that blends analytics, finance, ethics, and leadership, I am learning how to think rigorously about impact, how to evaluate trade-offs, design financially viable models, and make decisions that consider both people and performance. Courses in strategy and analytics have strengthened my ability to ask the right questions, while the program’s emphasis on values-based leadership continually grounds those decisions in purpose.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far? One of my best memories so far as an MBA student was having my sister travel with me to South Bend to help me settle in as I began a new chapter far from home and family. During orientation, she attended the MBA picnic with me, met some of my classmates and faculty, and got to tour the school. Sharing that moment with her was incredibly heartwarming.

As a first-generation student, these milestones carry even more meaning when I can experience them with the people closest to me. Having my sister witness the very beginning of this journey made it feel real in a deeper way, and it’s a memory I’ll always hold close. I hope that in the near future, I’ll be able to have my mom, and all my siblings visit as well, experience a Notre Dame football game, and take in the incredible culture that has already come to feel like home.

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