My name is Eduardo Mondlane, more commonly known as “Eddie.” I was named after my Grandfather Eduardo C. Mondlane, the founder and president of the Freedom Liberation Front of Mozambique, the liberation movement that led the country to independence from the Colonial Portuguese Government. Contrary to the Mozambican custom of naming ones’ first born after an elder in the family, i like to believe that my contribution to the world will be in my grandfathers stead.
I am the result of racial tolerance and academic opportunity at a time when neither came easily. My grandmother is an American from Indiana and my grandfather is from a village in Mozambique. My mother (their daughter) was born in Syracuse, New York but grew up in Tanzania during the liberation struggle in Mozambique. My father, Nigerian born, spent his school years in Manchester, England and later settled in Mozambique. I’m a small scale melting pot!
I spent much of my early years living between Maputo, Mozambique and going to pre-school in Johannesburg, South Africa. I went back to Maputo in 1996, at age 6, to begin my primary school education, and continued on to middle school at the International School of Maputo. Halfway through middle school, in grade 8, I transferred to high school at Waterford Kamhlaba United World College (UWC) of Southern Africa, for what I would describe as the greatest years of my life. At Waterford, I was continuously challenged academically and was immersed in a highly charitable environment. As a result, I developed an enormous concern for issues affecting my continent, Africa. My interest in socio-economic issues along with my family’s involvement in Mozambican politics, I must concede, has influenced my interest in and aspirations toward politics.
My other love is soccer! It’s more of a passion than just an opportunity to play a sport. I look back fondly on my years at Waterford where I was named “Most Valuable Player” twice in 3 years. A developing passion is track and field, specifically sprinting. I took the opportunity during my time off after graduation to take athletics seriously which resulted in me representing my country at events in Southern Africa.
I chose Lewis & Clark because I needed a college that promoted intellectuality through self-discovery and yet leaned as far as possible from a single-minded perspective. With my interests being so diverse I knew that going to a liberal arts college would be the obvious choice.
During my freshman year, i joined the Track & Field team. Amidst the hard training it was great to meet new people, form strong bonds with teammates and coaches and, of course, compete in track meets around the state of Oregon.”