Alumni Impact: Meet Zion Walter
Alumni Impact is a social media campaign that recognizes the excellent work being done by FIUTS alumni all around the world. Today, meet Zion, a FIUTS SUSI alumna from Nigeria, and learn about her work to ensure education for every child.
Tell us about you!
My name is Ndife Zion Walter from Nigeria. I participated in the 2021 Study of the U.S Institute (SUSI) for Student Leaders on Education and Future of Work. My SUSI journey was unique. It provided a remarkable opportunity for me to experience high level training, make international friends for my personal and professional development, and have international experiences that exposed me to system thinking. I cannot leave out the special bond my SUSI Cohort shares—it's something “home"—thanks to FIUTS.
Please describe your SUSI project and your work.
Zion in the classroom
I advocate for quality education through the Non-Profit I founded in 2018 called Alpha Development Model (ADM) Foundation, this project is called the "Encouraging Education Project ''. My activities include fundraising to provide school exercise books for children who cannot afford them, social awareness on the importance of education, and urging those within my community to support education either by helping out-of-school children, donating used textbooks to the less privileged kids, or repairing infrastructure within the school environment. I started the Encouraging Education Campaign right in Seattle during my SUSI in-person capstone in Nov, 2022, I do not regret it, and I'm grateful for the entire FIUTS team and my SUSI Cohorts for bringing the campaign alive.
What has been your experience since you returned from SUSI?
As a result of my activities relating to the "Encouraging Education Project", I won a UN Sustainable Development Goals Action Challenge Award (#SDGChallenge2023). This prompted the UN SDG Secretariat to award me with a scholarship to attend the UN Summer Academy 2023. The UN Summer Academy experience on its own, gave me a deeper insight on the SDGs, Governance for Sustainable Development and how to implement the SDGs. As a means of encouraging learning and new experiences, I will be teaching young people about the SDGs through the "SDG Corner" initiative of my Organization.
Zion and Mia cooking during their SUSI homestay.
How did your experience in the FIUTS SUSI program help you as a leader?
During our in-person capstone, I saw how FIUTS is building a community of global leaders through a consistent community-based spirit. My FIUTS SUSI Experience made it clear to me that education can get you anywhere in the world, grant you the opportunity to experience international culture that can transform your reasoning and growth mindset. I learnt the power of networking from FIUTS and as well as how to conduct round table discussions, workshops and seminars. But in all these FIUTS SUSI experiences, "Education" is at the center of it all. This is why I choose to advocate for education, which is learning and new experiences.
How can others get involved in your work?
Others can get involved in my work by starting "encouraging education" projects in their respective countries and communities. We can collaborate to encourage learning and new experiences because we're beneficiaries of education through FIUTS and SUSI. If you are interested in education and the SDGs, please reach out to me via my mail: walterzion2@gmail.com. I'll be more than happy to see a Global Encouraging Education Movement!
What advice do you have for other young leaders?
Zion speaking at an event
My advice to all SUSIs is to get up and make positive impacts in their community. Your impact is seen, your voice is heard, and your effort is appreciated. Someday you will be happy to have utilized the gift of "humanity" embedded in you. I believe in the quote that "One person can make a difference, therefore everyone should try".