Zuriel Oduwole: The 19-Year-Old Advocating for Education One Country at a Time

Eager to make change but feeling too young or lacking the confidence to do so? Meet Zuriel Oduwole, who’s been fighting for education around the world since she was nine-years-old.

Zuriel Oduwole delivering a talk at The University Of The West Indies. Image by DUSUSU

“My dad always told [me] that ‘zero plus zero, is zero’. If you do nothing, then nothing is what one gets.” From a very young age, this saying has driven the success of global education advocate, Zuriel Oduwole.

"If you do nothing, then nothing is what one gets.” - Zuriel

Over the last 10 years, Zuriel has inspired around 48,000 young people and world leaders in 19 countries, promoting education, especially for girls across Africa and Asia. Her purpose, “is so that they are not denied the opportunity of a bright future, [and] not getting married as young as 13 in some countries,” says Zuriel.

Now, at 19, Zuriel is setting off on tour with her new global Alternative Education Initiative. She is informing world leaders about the opportunities that could arise from teaching alternative skills like film making, coding and entrepreneurship in schools. She says her mission is “to equip young people with practical skills they can actually use to fend for themselves; to form cooperatives and start businesses that cater for in-demand skills” in their countries.

Zuriel is an example of how age doesn’t need to hold you back from making change. When asked what she would say to her younger self, she replies: “You should have started it all much sooner. What are you waiting for?”