Hoffman Madzou, 23, a Congolese business student, poses for a photo at UNLV Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
Sunday, March 17, 2024 | 2 a.m.
UNLV senior Hoffman Madzou sits under a faded red parasol at a table in the student union at UNLV.
It’s the week of spring break, and while the marketing major has plans to eventually relax, he still checks his phone repeatedly — possibly in expectation for his next venture.
Madzou certainly likes to stay busy.
He plays soccer on UNLV’s club team and enjoys analyzing the statistics of sports matches, which he squeezes in between completing business classes, leading two on-campus organizations and working three jobs — as a campus tour guide, manager at one of the local H&R Block locations and as a judiciary member of CSUN, UNLV’s student government organization.
A native of the Republic of Congo who moved to the United States in 2008, Madzou said he wouldn’t change his college experience because it’s one he could only gain by being here in America.
“My mom moved us to the U.S., where she would view it as where we can get the best financial opportunities,” Madzou said. “Rather than being very, very poor in Congo, now it’s way better than what we were over there.”
Madzou was born in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, only a few years after political and civil unrest that “destroyed or damaged much of Brazzaville and caused tens of thousands of civilian deaths,” according to the New World Encyclopedia. For as long as Madzou remembers, his family had been living in poverty.
Madzou’s life was changed forever when his family was selected for a refugee program that would bring them to the United States when he was just 7.
Madzou said he and his brother grew up watching movies about the U.S., but had no idea what to expect when they were told they’d be moving to Las Vegas. They were expecting the sunny beaches and palm trees of Los Angeles, or the sight of the towering Empire State Building in New York City.
What they got was the glitz and glam of the Strip, where they had heard stories of Michael Jackson performing and grew excited. Madzou was immediately enrolled into Dean Petersen RISE Academy off Cambridge Street, while his mother got a job as a utility porter on the Strip.
Years later, Madzou has now established himself on UNLV’s campus and become one of the first in his family to earn both a high school and college degree. After falling in love with the business world through a business language class and the university’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, Madzou secured two internships and established the Colored Business Association, which connects students of color to opportunities in the business industry.
“We’re known as UNLV — a keyword (being) ‘Las Vegas’ because of how Las Vegas is viewed entertainment-wise, but we have the guys, the women and the individuals that can change a lot of Fortune 500 companies,” Madzou said of his reason for starting the Colored Business Association.
Companies such as KPMG, Ernst and Young, Deloitte, JP Morgan Chase and St. Jude’s Hospital have all partnered with the club, he said.
Madzou also leads UNLV’s branch of 100 Black Men, which provides mentorships and support programs that span from health and wellness to leadership development.
His work was recognized earlier this month by Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., who invited Madzou to be her guest for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. He initially met Lee through a discussion she held on the impact of gun violence.
“I’m honored to have Hoffman as my guest to the State of the Union Address because he exemplifies the hard work it takes to achieve the American dream and the selflessness needed to make our students, businesses, and communities stronger,” Lee said in a statement.
While in Washington, D.C., Lee showed Madzou around the congressional library and helped him meet a plethora of notable figures, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
It’s a great addition to an already expansive résumé for Madzou, who will be moving to Pennsylvania following graduation in May to work as a financial analyst for Vanguard, an investment management company.
His goals span far beyond that, though.
Madzou eventually wants to become a Fortune 500 CEO at a well-known business and earn a master’s degree. For now, he’ll continue checking off his little wins, he said, such as getting his own apartment and joining the 100 Black Men branch in Pennsylvania.
The sky’s the limit for Madzou, and he owes it all to his mother’s decision to immigrate, his mentors’ guidance and his soon-to-be alma mater of UNLV.
“I look at where I am now in comparison (to the Republic of Congo); if I was still there, I don’t think it would have been relatively close — free education, free empowerment, free diversity, free thought-processing helped me get here versus on the other side, it’s not that way,” Madzou said. “I’m forever grateful for everything that Nevada has given to me.”
[email protected] / 702-948-7854 / @gracedarocha
