Rujeko Machinga-Asaolu’s journey to Boise State University began not with a plan, but with purpose. Originally from Zimbabwe and trained as a biochemist, she never imagined a future in social work, until her first job after college shifted everything she thought she knew about people, systems, and healing.
“The only job I could get was at a mental health organization,” Machinga-Asaolu said. “It was there I had two mentors, a licensed clinical social worker and a licensed marriage and family therapist, who showed me what it means to make a difference in someone’s life. That experience changed everything.”
What followed was a career of continuous transformation. After witnessing preventable illnesses and health disparities during a self-created internship in Zimbabwe, she pursued a master’s in public health and community health education before earning dual master’s degrees in social work and couple and family therapy from the University of Louisville. While interning in a geriatric clinic, she began seeing a pattern that would shape her life’s work: late-life domestic violence.
“Eighty percent of my cases involved late-life navigating intimate partner violence,” she said. “That experience opened my eyes to how violence affects people across the lifespan. It inspired me to keep learning and researching, to help survivors not just recover, but grow.”
After obtaining her PhD in Social Work at the University of Kentucky, today, Machinga-Asaolu is an intimate partner violence scholar specializing in post-traumatic growth among survivors, with a particular interest on immigrant, refugee, and aging populations. She notes that in Idaho, about 62% of women and 27% of men have reported experiencing domestic violence in their lifetime.
“Those numbers are alarming, and likely underreported,” she said. “Every culture has strengths we can tap into to prevent and respond to violence. We have to meet people where they are and not impose what ‘we’ think helps them best.”
Her work emphasizes “bouncing forward” rather than merely “bouncing back.” “Resilience is bouncing back,” she explained. “Post-traumatic growth is bouncing forward. It’s about recognizing that people may evolve for the better and may find new meaning after intimate partner violence-induced trauma.”
Now an assistant professor in Boise State’s School of Social Work, Machinga-Asaolu currently teaches Social Welfare 101, a class that reaches students at the very beginning of their social work or university journeys. “What drives me is contributing to potentially changing life trajectories,” she said. “I want students to see the full range of what social work is, from micro to macro practice, and understand that social welfare issues affect everyone.”
Her teaching philosophy is grounded in four values: relational, collaborative, reflective, and empowering. “Learning is something we build together,” she said. “We’re all experts in something. My goal is to create a classroom where students feel seen, challenged, and inspired to lead with courage, compassion, love, and boldness.”
When she first visited Boise, the mountains reminded her of home. “I stepped outside and thought, this feels like Zimbabwe,” she said. “I saw an opportunity for growth, in myself and in the School of Social Work. I felt I could contribute meaningfully while continuing to grow personally, professionally, and purposefully.”
Outside of work, Machinga-Asaolu recharges through faith, cooking with her husband, and exploring Idaho’s beauty. “I’m proudly Zimbabwean,” she said. “My Shona culture taught me that I am because we are. That belief drives everything I do, helping others see that they do not just have the abilities to create change, but they also have the power to be the change.”
She credits her parents’ legacy for inspiring her leadership. “I lead with courage, compassion, love, and boldness because I saw my parents do it,” she said. “Now it’s my turn to continue that legacy, and help others find their own.”