Rudolf Mbadinga
Associate in Science Degree in Business Management
Hostos Emerging Leaders Program
Rudolf Mbadinga was born in Libreville, Gabon on May 3rd, 1980 and grew up in a modest home with his parents and four siblings. Rudy attended grade school and high school in Gabon and then was sent by his parents to study English and Business Administration in Ghana, West Africa. He lived in Ghana from 2002-2005 and he served as the President of the Gabonese Student Association at The Academy of Business Administration, in Accra. After completing his studies in Ghana, Rudy hoped to travel to the United Kingdom and continue his studies, but because of terror attacks in London in 2005 the borders were closed and Rudy had to return to Gabon for a few months, before deciding to come to pursue an education in the United States of America.
Rudy came to the United States to study English at Louisiana Tech University and then traveled to Kilgore College in East Texas to pursue an Associate Degree in Business Management. After one month in the Texas heat, Rudy decided that Texas was not for him and he came to New York City in fall 2006 and searched for the right school to serve his educational needs. After trying out some of the local schools in New York, Rudy began his Hostos Community College experience in Fall 2007.
Early on, Rudy found great support in the West African community on the Hostos campus and he joined the French and Italian Club (French and Francophone Club) so that he could be surrounded by a group of like minded individuals who spoke the same language as he did. He served as both the Secretary and Vice President of the organization and helped to provide students who wanted to learn another language with some alternatives to Spanish. Rudy was a participant at the spring 2010 Dramatic Reading Competition and received an honorable mention and the audience prize.
In the summer of 2009, Rudolf became a member of the Hostos Student Leadership Academy’s Emerging Leaders Program and he has excelled in a variety of areas since his induction. Rudolf was the winner of the Hostos Student Leadership Academy’s Fall 2009 debate competition, in which he effectively argued in opposition of the issues laid out in The Apology of Socrates, by Plato. Rudolf served in both the 2010 National Model United Nations in New York City, where he represented the Dominican Republic with 13 other students and the 2010 National Model United Nations is Washington D.C., where he served as a head delegate and represented Ghana, West Africa with 7 other students. He was also selected to serve with 5 other members of the Hostos Student Leadership Academy at the 2010 New York State Model Senate Session Project, where he debated in opposition to term limits for New York politicians.
Rudy has also been a participant at the 2010 CUNY Emerging Leaders Conference, the 2010 Black, Puerto Rican and Asian Caucus Conference in Albany and the 2010 Somos El Futuro Conference in Albany. Rudy also ran for the position of Budget and Finance Commissioner of the Student Government in the spring of 2010, but was not elected. He has also been involved in more than 400 hours of community service since joining the Leadership Academy. He most enjoyed his experience in Chinatown last Christmas, when he and twenty other Academy members brought great joy to senior citizens from the Asian community. Even though they didn’t know English and Rudy did not know Chinese, Japanese or Korean, he was able to connect with that community in a very meaningful way.
Rudy was a participant at the 2010 West Indian Day Parade, the 2010 Bronx Dominican Day Parade and has worked with the New Stars Center on their New Student Orientation Program and the Career Services Unit on the Career Services Carnival.
Rudolf is also a leader in his church and serves as a youth counselor and advisor. Rudolf also loves to travel and has visited Benin, Togo, Switzerland and France. He hopes to go to Japan one day soon and the Dominican Republic as well.
Rudy will graduate in January and hopes one day to go back to his homeland in Gabon and become the President of that country.