David Saveanu
Reporter
Jeremie Mafumba Ngbatana is a second year student studying business administration, and a midfielder on the Parkland soccer team.
Ngbatana came to the U.S. in May 2016 to attend Parkland, from his home in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in central Africa.
“I grew up in Congo and ended up moving to South Africa,” said Ngbatana, “I did all of my high school in Africa.”
He had moved to South Africa for school and after graduating, was invited to Parkland by his uncle.
“My uncle was here […] going to Parkland, so he’s the one who enrolled me here, he sent me the invitation,” Ngbatana said.
“I was accepted and I came in 2016,” Ngbatana said.
Ngbatana grew up playing soccer and he reminisced on days in Congo when he and his friends would talk about playing soccer professionally one day.
“In south Africa I played for a professional team in the third division, a sort of junior division,” Ngbatana said.
Back home, the main focus was soccer for Ngbatana so when he came to the U.S. there was some culture shock to switching his main focus towards getting an education.
“Back home you give yourself to sports, in [the U.S.] everything you do is school first,” Ngbatana said.
Ngbatana’s mindset helped him get through the drastic change in culture surrounding school.
“I’m going to be in the U.S. for six more years, so the only things I need to focus on [are] doing good in school,” Ngbatana said. “International tuition is also very high, so it would be a waste of money if I don’t do good.”
He plans on attending a four-year university after Parkland, one that has a division one or a division two soccer team.
Ultimately Ngbatana hopes to play soccer professionally, for the national Congolese team and for a professional club in Europe. He has no preference about the club, as long as he gets to do what he loves for a living.
Ngbatana will go back home after finishing his schooling in the U.S..
“When I get my bachelor’s degree I’ll go back home immediately,” Ngbatana said. “Studying here in the U.S., getting an associate’s then a bachelor’s puts me in a good position at home.”
“With a bachelor’s degree I’ll be someone high up and I’ll make more money than here in the U.S.,” Ngbatana said.
Ngbatana is studying business administration, which is his “plan b” in the case that his international soccer career doesn’t work out.
He plans on going back to Congo and starting a company. He says he wants to be an entrepreneur and be his own boss.
Ngbatana overcame a lot of adversity by coming to a new country.
“My first year here I didn’t know anyone, I was missing my family … my second year I started meeting a lot of people, most of them from soccer,” Ngbatana said.
Ngbatana is the first born of three kids, raised by a single mother. His siblings are planning on coming to the U.S. too.
“They’re all looking up to me,” Ngbatana said.
Ngbatana will be at Parkland until the fall. He spends a lot of his time on schoolwork.
“I don’t get much time to practice on my own because of all the school work,” Ngbatana said.
The workload doesn’t bother him though because his goals keep him motivated.
“I love giving myself to whatever will lead to a better future,” Ngbatana said.
When Ngbatana isn’t working hard on the field or hitting the books, he likes to spend time with his teammates.
“[I] hang out with my teammates, we hang out after practice, doing homework or playing games,” Ngbatana said.