Former Student Spotlight - Joseph Mwagura

Joseph Mwagura joined the US Commercial Service (CS) in June of 2017, as a Master of Science candidate in North Dakota State University’s international agribusiness program. Joseph grew up on a subsistence farm in Muchena Village, Zimbabwe and was born in Nyagna, Zimbabwe. Prior to NDSU, Joseph received a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management and a certificate of applied economics from Pennsylvania State University. Prior to that, he lived and worked in Mozambique where he worked for the largest South African based retailer as a Loss Prevention Manager. Joseph is fluent in English, Shona, Portuguese, and speaks intermediate Spanish. After leaving the internship, Joseph remained involved with the U.S. Commercial Service by presenting in an international market research seminar in October of 2018. Joseph currently lives in Fargo with his wife, originally from Wolford, North Dakota, and daughters.
 
Through his academic coursework and the internship with the U.S. Commercial Service, Joseph developed the skills necessary for a career in research and/or exporting. One of the advantages of the assistantship was learning how to problem solve and exposure to new software programs. One of the programs that he became more comfortable with was Microsoft Excel, which was vital to many of the projects and reports Joseph worked on. The advice Joseph would give new students is, “Always leave an organization better than when you came. Be memorable and make a lasting contribution that people will associate with your name. “ 

After leaving the CS North Dakota office, Joseph took a position as an economic and market research analyst with the North Dakota Department of Commerce. In this role he conducts economic and market research to support North Dakota’s primary and target sectors. His research focuses on the current state of the economy to assist senior management in tracking economic goals.

Joseph’s position with CS North Dakota was supported by the North Dakota State Trade Office Export Assistants program.