When Vimbai decided to pursue her master’s degree in engineering management at Catholic University, she was focused on school and settling into a new chapter of life in a new city. She carried with her ambition, excitement, and a plan for the future—ready to take on everything that came next.
Suddenly, her journey as a full-time student became a journey into motherhood, too.
She barely settled into her new rhythm—books, lectures, late nights—when her body began sending signals that something was shifting. A pregnancy test confirmed it: she was expecting.
Vimbai quickly discovered that her student insurance didn’t cover maternity care, leaving her unsure of where to turn. She started searching online, and that’s when she found Community of Hope. She walked into the Family Health and Birth Center —and everything began to change.
From her very first visit, she felt welcomed, supported, and seen. She began receiving prenatal care and joined our Centering Pregnancy® group, a program that offers group-based care, education, and connection for expectant parents. “Everyone was just so helpful,” she said. She connected with a then-Perinatal Navigator, Allie Marshall. “Sometimes I’d just call her to ask for something, and she’d help me reach everyone I needed.”
Allie Marshall is now a Lactation Specialist here at Community of Hope and has been able to work with Vimbai and become one of her anchors throughout the process. “She would answer all my questions and became like family to me,” says Vimbai.
Vimbai gave birth to her daughter Alisha at our Family Health and Birth Center, surrounded by a team of midwives who made her feel safe and empowered. As a first-time mom, it meant everything.
One moment that stands out for her came during postpartum recovery, when she was overwhelmed and unsure of what to expect. The warmth and attentiveness of the Community of Hope team reassured her in those early days. “They didn’t just care for me as a patient,” she said. “They cared for me as a person. They made this feel like home.”
Now a new mother and still balancing the demands of grad school, Vimbai is learning how to embrace the beauty and challenge of both roles. She lights up when she talks about her daughter. “Alisha is everything,” she says with a smile.
This May, she celebrated her very first Mother’s Day—not just as a new mom, but as a woman who took on motherhood, and education, all at once.
