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In a time of uncertainty, PCC’s Muhunga Munga helps others feel seen

Story by Misty Bouse. Photos by Ric Getter.

International student Muhunga Munga says his proudest accomplishment is helping others feel seen.

“I’m someone who makes people feel like they matter,” Munga said. “That’s the thing I’m most proud of.”

Munga, a ����ֱ�� student and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society member, was named to the All-Oregon Academic Team for ����ֱ�� alongside some of the brightest, most driven students in Oregon. He also recently received George Fox University’s premier, full-tuition Beacon Transfer Scholarship for high-achieving, first-generation student leaders.

“I grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where access to quality education isn’t guaranteed,” he said. “It’s something students fight for.”

The college welcomes about 300 international students from 60-plus countries. The Office of International Student Services supports F-1 visa students as they adjust to life in Portland, succeed academically, build community, and get involved through events, leadership opportunities, jobs, and internships.

For Munga, the recognition is not a finish line. It is a responsibility.

“I am not the smartest person in the room,” he said. “I am not even sure I’m the hardest working. But I have a deep, quiet, stubborn need to do better for myself, for my family back in Congo, and for the version of me that stepped off a plane two years ago not fully knowing what came next.”

Originally from the DRC, Munga attended Westville Boys’ High School in Durban, South Africa, before coming to the United States. He is the fifth of six siblings and now lives in Southeast Portland.

“My family sacrificed so I could have access to something they didn’t,” Munga added. “Every shift I work, every early morning, every late night studying—that’s not a burden.”

Munga has attended PCC for about a year and a half, primarily at the Southeast Campus after previously attending Clackamas Community College. Next fall, he will be transferring to George Fox to study engineering and economics, fields he sees as connected to his home country and its future. His goal is to become a civil engineer.

“The DRC is one of the richest countries on Earth by resources, and yet so much of that wealth has never reached the people living there,” Munga said. “I needed to understand why, and more importantly, how to change it. Why engineering? Because infrastructure is dignity. Economics because systems determine who benefits and who doesn’t.”

At PCC, Munga found mentors, student organizations and spaces that helped him belong. The African Students Union gave him friendship and community. As an events coordinator at the Multicultural Center, he helps create that same sense of belonging for others.

He also received support through the Denise and Robert Frisbee Government Internship, which placed him in a job-shadowing role with Alyson Kraus, PCC senior government relations manager.

“The Denise and Robert Frisbee Government Internship gave me more than a stipend,” Munga said. “It gave me a seat at a table I didn’t know I could sit at, and the confidence that I belong in spaces where real decisions get made.”

Kraus said Munga brings an important student perspective to the work.

“When we are brainstorming or working through ideas, he speaks directly to what actually works for students and what does not, which consistently strengthens the conversations,” Kraus said.

Munga said his path has not been easy. Finances remain a challenge, and working multiple campus jobs helps keep him enrolled. Still, he said, PCC has given him time, space and proof that he can continue.

“The people who work here actually care,” Munga said. “And the community, especially if you find your people, will carry you further than you expect.”

As Munga prepares to join PCC graduates, he added, “I am grateful. Grateful to the people at my college who saw something in me worth investing in. Grateful to be in a state, in a country, that still makes moments like this possible.”