After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politics, and law and getting a bachelor of laws degree from the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa, Catherine Msumali knew exactly what she wanted to do next. She wanted to apply to one — and only one — university: UNLV.
The first woman in her family to graduate from college, Msumali was determined to earn an advanced degree in gaming law and regulation. And, it just so happens that UNLV’s Boyd School of Law is the only law school in the world to offer it.
However, the journey to get to UNLV as an international student wasn’t easy.
There were cultural and legal hurdles from the start of her journey, but Msumali’s perseverance exemplifies what it means to be a Rebel.
A Dream Deferred
With the aim of getting her from Boyd Law, Msumali sent in her UNLV application from halfway across the world. When the acceptance offer came, she recalled thinking: “Here it is, the program of my dreams.”
But as an international student, Msumali remembered being scared to show her parents the fees associated with the degree. “It seemed ridiculous to think they could ever afford them. It was ridiculous to even dream of it,” she said.
So, to give herself time to apply for scholarships, Msumali deferred her admission from fall 2021 to 2022.
Because gambling is perceived as a vice in Msumali’s home country of Tanzania, grants and scholarships were few and far between. Msumali recalled how at one scholarship interview, after being asked why she wanted to pursue a degree in gambling, the interviewer told her it was a “sin.” She walked out of that interview knowing she would not get that scholarship regardless of her stellar academic record and her years of service in Legal Aid through the Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA).
After that, Msumali said she spent at least six hours every day browsing through scholarship websites, hoping to find one for which she was eligible. Then, a year later in April 2022, she was selected as an awardee. The AAUW is a prestigious scholarship awarded to international students who have worked to improve the lives of women and children in their community.
Msumali received this scholarship as a first-time applicant, an uncommon feat. The Boyd School of Law also selected her as a recipient of the Nevada State Bar scholarship.
Determination in the Face of Challenges
After receiving the good news about her scholarships, Msumali could now move forward with getting her visa.
"The interview was casual, almost great, really," she recalled. So, she was surprised when the visa officer denied her application. And it wasn’t the last time her visa was denied either. It was denied again a few months later.
Again, she was forced to defer her admission from fall 2022 to spring 2023. At the lowest point of her life, Msumali said she couldn't help but say to herself, “If only I was in a different country, or a different race, or came from a family of well-renowned politicians.” The anxieties, she said, began to build despite how much she’d been able to achieve so far: “What if I never obtain a visa? What if I lose my scholarship? What if I can't earn my dream degree?”
Unwilling to give up, Msumali showed up to a visa interview in October 2023. She was prepared, but still very anxious. The quietness in the room, she recalled, made her tense. It was either going to work out that day or never.
Msumali walked to the visa officer’s window knowing this person held her fate in their hands. Would she be denied again, or would she be able to achieve the dream that she’d been working so hard toward?
This time, her application was accepted and, to celebrate, Msumali said she went on a weeklong vacation to Cape Town, South Africa.
Arriving in the Entertainment Capital of the World
In January 2023, she landed in Las Vegas. The day Msumali arrived at UNLV, she knew this ride was going to be incredible.
Once she’d settled in, an advisor from Boyd Law showed her around campus and helped her to buy essentials. Msumali said her lecturers were “welcoming, exceptional, and knowledgeable.” She was also selected as a speaker at the Nevada Gaming Control Board mock hearing, where she had a chance to represent her class and meet the world’s most renowned gaming regulators.
“It was beyond anything I’d ever dreamt of,” said Msumali.
It’s an achievement, she said, that she wasn’t able to accomplish alone. One who helped is Sarah Gonzales, director of graduate programs at the Boyd School of Law.
“I have been working with Catherine since 2020 after she attended a webinar I did on U.S. legal education for the U.S. Embassy in South Africa,” Gonzales said. “I talked Catherine through the admissions process, referred her to several scholarship organizations, coached her through her challenges getting a student visa and writing several letters of support to embassies or scholarship organizations.”
It’s a story, said Gonzales, that she’s, unfortunately, seen play out before.
“Catherine's journey is a prime example of the challenges facing international students, and the value of perseverance and faith to overcome obstacles. For other students facing similar challenges, you have zero chance of success if you don't try! She has been a joy to have in the program, and I am excited to see what happens next in her professional journey.”
After finding her new home at UNLV, Msumali became involved in many campus activities.
Through on-campus employment, she became a graduate assistant at UNLV PRACTICE, a leading mental health clinic that offers high-quality and affordable care to all people in Nevada. In this role, she had the chance to kick off the UNLV PRACTICE Strategic Plan, which aims at unifying mental health voices on campus. It’s an experience that she said was very rewarding.
Msumali also had a chance to travel on service trips to San Diego and Los Angeles, where she learned about mass incarceration and immigration while volunteering at organizations like Homeboy Industries and Mundo Gardens.
It is experiences like this, Msumali said, that made “the whole journey worth it.”
This August, Msumali was conferred her degree from Boyd Law, and she’s now kick-starting her career in gaming through an externship with one of the world’s best gaming technology companies: Konami Gaming, Inc.
