Nambaya educates area’s Congolese community about autism

By Chuck Gordon

When Melinda Plue started teaching her Intro to Social Work course at Wingate in spring 2025, she expected to find students who primarily had an interest in social work as a career. She was surprised to learn that one of her most engaged students, Divine Nambaya, was on a prepharmacy track.

"She just showed up and started doing the work and asking really good but difficult questions of me," Plue says. "It didn't take long for me to realize there was something more to it with her."

That something more was an acute interest in Autism Spectrum Disorder, a neurodevelopmental condition that affects communication, interaction and behavior. Nambaya, now majoring in mathematics and business, has a young nephew with autism, but it's been difficult for him to get the care he needs. Nambaya and her aunt are from the French-speaking Democratic Republic of the Congo, so not only is there a language barrier to contend with but there is a stigma surrounding autism in their community.

Inspired by Plue and her class, Nambaya put on a four-hour autism-awareness event last month in Charlotte aimed at the city's substantial Congolese community. She found the venue, lined up speakers (including Plue), had T-shirts printed, hired a deejay and photographer, signed up volunteers and assembled gift packs for them. Fifty people attended the event, sponsored by Amani Kids, an organization that helps immigrant and refugee children.

Divine Nambaya (third from left) stands with volunteers and speakers at the event.

It was an awful lot of work, but Nambaya enjoys organizing, and she understood that her community needed to hear the message that, with the right support, children with autism can grow up to live productive lives. She says that in the DRC, a large Central African nation with the continent's third-highest population, having a child with autism is often seen as a curse, and children with autism are often either abandoned or simply not cared for properly.

"In the Congolese community, I see some parents who have children with developmental delays, but they don't really do anything," she says. "For some, they're like, 'I will just pray it away.' I'm a Christian. I understand that we can pray, but you also need to get the resources to help them."

Nambaya says that one of the event's attendees told her about her autistic sister in the DRC. "She just sits at home all day long, all month long, all year long, because there are no resources," she says. "Her sister's deteriorating, and it really pains her."

Nambaya moved to Charlotte from the DRC as a 17-year-old in 2019 after graduating from high school, in order to attend Central Piedmont Community College. Because she earned her associate degree (in engineering), she was eligible for the Gateway Scholarship, which means she attends Wingate for a tuition payment of $2,500 a year.

Every fall, Wingate celebrates National Transfer Student Week, which puts a spotlight on students who often take a nontraditional path to an undergraduate degree.

"It's a special time to recognize the unique journeys and achievements of our transfer students and the important role they play in our Wingate community," says Valerie Graham, director of transfer and specialized admission. "Transfer students bring diverse experiences, perspectives and talents that enrich our classrooms and campus culture. Many of them balance work, family and academics while navigating the transition to a new university. The encouragement and support they receive from our Wingate community make a tremendous difference in their success."

Transfer numbers have grown considerably over the past few years at Wingate. Nambaya is one of 380 transfer students enrolled in traditional undergraduate programs at Wingate. The University brought in 152 transfers this fall.

Nambaya knew no English when she moved here, so she spent a year or so learning the language before going to school. She is now fluent in English.

"In her writing, it's hard to determine that English is not her first language," Plue says. "She uses vocabulary that quite frankly a lot of our students are not using, in words or in writing.

"She has a large presence when she comes into a room, and for no other reason than she exudes a light, a warmth, that comes from within. She is a student and a human who just kind of seems to glow."

Plue says that, at times during the Intro to Social Work course, she learned as much from Nambaya as Nambaya learned from her.

"There is still, in this country, a lot of shame around autism, even for American-born and -bred people," she says, "but it is tenfold in a place like the Congo, or for a Congolese person living in this country who really, really believes that autism is a curse and a source of deep, deep shame. I didn't know the depths of that, and I didn't understand how important it is to get accurate information to that community so they can also be helped."

Nambaya says she plans on putting on another autism-awareness event next year, in order to further spread the word about the true nature of the disorder and resources that are available. She says the experience of putting on the event this year taught her "patience and learning to delegate." Overall, the experience was a good one.

"The feedback in general was very positive," she says, "and people now actually understand it better, I think."

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Oct. 24, 2025