Munashe Sharon Nyatanga also known as Sharon is 23 year old Zimbabwean. She comes from a single parent household because her father passed away when she was a little girl, and to worsen this whole statement a bit more, her mother isn’t employed. She has been supporting herself for years. Ms. Sharon is a Senior student at Stamford International University in Thailand, and also the Co-President of our 2016-2017 Student council in addition to being the President of the Debate and Public Speaking Club. She says, “Hard work and passion has brought me here, and I’m nothing if not a hard worker and a passionate human being when it comes to education and promoting advocacy to young people. “

Ms. Nyatanga is more of a reserved person, and yet uses her voice to speak and stand up for others, particularly young girls who have so much potential but no resources. She adds, “If I strictly described myself in just 3 words, I would settle for “Confident, go-getter, opportunist because I aspire to be the type of leader that works for the benefit of others."

She says "On a lighter note, I refer to myself as being a “vintage baby” because of my hobbies. I love reading, writing, knitting (you read that right), and listening to jazz music on any given day.” Her goal in life is to look back 20 years from now and know that she has helped pave the way to a better future for young people who have so much potential but not sure how to nurture it, and she believe that goal is slowly being fulfilled.

How do you motivae the youths living in developing world for the better future?

When I was 18 , my goal was to get married so that I could be guaranteed a roof over my head and food on the table. 5 years later, I’m motivated to be a youth advocate and I’m living that reality. Motivating young people in developing countries is no easy task, and this comes as a statement that has been experienced first hand,  but because of where I am now, I would motivate young people mainly through social media platforms because no matter the geographical situation, most youths have access to social media. Through these social applications I will be able to share my own words of wisdom on how to overcome challenges, to share available opportunities whether it’s a free online course that’s been opened or a workshop that’s accredited regionally or internationally.From my experience and point of view, motivating young people also has to guarantee them tangible results, which is exactly what this platform would allow me to do.

In general, I would motivate young people by also sharing the progress and challenges that I face just to let them know that it’s possible to achieve things beyond your own imagination.