Last updated on May 31, 2025
By Joe Frescott, Co-Editor-In-Chief
7,615 miles.
That distance separates the two places Myra Mulongoti calls home.
Growing up in Lusaka, Zambia, Mulongoti lived a simple life with her older brother, Kachi, and her parents. Not having much of a choice in the matter, Myra was a diligent student who had good grades and spent her time outside school playing soccer. Soccer played a major role in her young life, and she aspired to play at a high level. Those plans never came to fruition, as Mulongoti set her sights on bigger dreams in the Big Apple.
Surrounded by a family of lawyers, Myra wanted to break the mold and carve her own path. Finding an interest in computer science, she knew that the best place to study would be the U.S., the leader in the industry and home to tech giants such as Google and Microsoft.
After taking a trip to the northeastern U.S., Mulongoti knew that her future lay in New York, and applied to schools across the state. LIU Post quickly became a good fit logistically, and months after enrolling, she found herself on a nearly 24-hour flight across the globe to Brookville, NY.
Mulongoti reflects on the early challenges of being away from home.
“I was starting from ground zero. So I really had to find myself, know who I was, and really just build my own life. So that was definitely a challenge. I think I’ve grown a lot through that. I think I’ve matured so much more,” she said. “I would say it definitely was hard as a freshman…All my friends back home, I went to school with and I had known since I was maybe 12 years old. So we had grown up together. I didn’t really ever have to make new friends. So coming here, I had to learn how to make new friends and how to build communities.”
From her first days on Long Island, Mulongoti immediately noticed a major difference from back home.
“I think it’s definitely culturally very different, as you can expect. I think maybe people back home are much more open on first impressions. Not that people here aren’t,” Mulongoti said. “Even though it’s different, I do love New York and the people here are kind in their own way.”
One way Myra sought to meet new people was through student-run clubs on campus. Little did she know, these clubs would play a major role in her college experience.
“I just kind of joined the newspaper on a whim. I never would have thought I’d end up co-editor-in-chief of the Tide… It was my freshman year. I knew I wanted to join clubs… I wrote a little bit for the newspaper in my high school. And I was like, I’ll see what it’s about. So I was just a staff writer, I wasn’t even in the class, I was doing the club. So I would just come once in a while on a Monday and take a story. I was interested in arts and features, and that was mostly what I wrote.”
After being a staff writer her first year, she became friends with Shelley Dean, the former Arts and Entertainment editor of the Tide, who asked her to join the editorial team. Mulongoti agreed and served as her assistant editor the following year. Upon Dean’s graduation, she was promoted to Arts and Entertainment editor, and a year later, Co-Editor-In-Chief.
Mulongoti reflects on her time at the Tide.
“I really enjoyed my time in the newspaper… I have enjoyed even just reading other people’s writing and talking to everyone on the staff about stories. I enjoyed speaking to people when interviewing people, doing research for stories, and coming up with questions. I just enjoyed the whole process of it,” she said. “And it’s always nice to have a physical newspaper and flip through it. Especially when your story is in there, it’s great seeing your writing published.”
The Tide wasn’t the only student organization Mulongoti was involved in. Starting an on-campus job at the Writing Center in her freshman year, her colleagues there quickly became much more.
“I have a community there with all my coworkers and my boss. I go to my boss’s [Mary Pigliacelli] home for Thanksgiving every year. Because obviously, I don’t have anywhere else to go for Thanksgiving. I would say that I cherish The Writing Center because it was definitely a safe space for me there… It was a home away from home,” Mulongoti said.
Between the Tide and the Writing Center, Mulongoti has been able to pursue her passions in writing. However, her work doesn’t stop there.
“I also write poetry. I’m taking a poetry independent study this semester. My final project is a poetry collection. So I definitely plan to continue writing after college,” Mulongoti said.
Outside of writing, Mulongoti has a passion for music and concerts. Just this school year alone, she has attended ten! She enjoys the live music experience and never turns away the opportunity, even for performers she is unfamiliar with.
Professionally, Mulongoti isn’t sure what her future holds. As of now, her sights are set on finishing her finals and making the walk on May 14. Afterwards, she plans to explore the job market and find a new home or continue her computer science education in graduate school.
Mulongoti shares her biggest piece of advice based on her experiences at LIU Post.
“Never box yourself in. Never be definite about anything. Always try new experiences,” Mulongoti advises.
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