Alumni & Friends

News Stories

Sister Trixie Wins Peace Scholarship

Sister Trixie

On campus, she's known as Sister Trixie, a name that seems more appropriate for a cocktail waitress than a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood. When she returns to Zimbabwe, however, she will not wait on tables but provide comfort to those afflicted with HIV/AIDS.

Sr. Redemptrix Chimutima has been at Neumann College for two years, studying for a master's degree in pastoral counseling and certification in spiritual direction. "I wanted to find a program that integrates psychology and spirituality," she says, "and Neumann offers just what I was looking for."

Her road to a graduate degree was almost derailed this year when health problems depleted the already limited budget that her order could provide. Staying at Neumann for two more years to complete her studies seemed unlikely. In early May, however, Sr. Trixie learned that P.E.O. International had awarded her an $8,000 international peace scholarship.

Founded in 1869, P.E.O. is an Iowa-based organization that helps women realize their potential, primarily through educational opportunities.

Sr. Trixie longs to return to Zimbabwe to help the people who suffer from lack of medical care and a severe economic depression in addition to HIV. Conditions there are so extreme that her ten-year-old niece died because "there was no fuel for the ambulance or any other vehicle to take her to the hospital" when she became ill.

When Sr. Trixie resumes classes in the fall, she will have a clear goal in sight - graduation in May 2008 and an immediate return to Africa.

6/8/06