Activist tells students at Culver Academies the way to change the world is to start small, find their passion

Shomy Chowdhury, co-founder of the global non-profit Awareness 360, told Culver Academies students that the way to make an impact in the world is to start small and work to make it grow.

Chowdhury, a native of Bangladesh, told the students that she first learned she enjoyed being an activist when she was part of an exchange program in Michigan where she was supposed to do 40 hours of community service. She ended up doing 460 hours. After being recognized by President Barack Obama, she began thinking about how she could bring those efforts back to Bangladesh.

When she returned home, a tragedy helped her find a way she could help in her home country. Her mother died suddenly of diarrhea, one day after contracting it.

“That was a shock to me,” she said. “It is so personal, which is why I feel so passionate about it. I feel like I couldn’t save my Mom, but through my work, maybe I will help save other peoples’ loved ones. That’s really my motivation.”

She learned that 45,000 people a year die in Bangladesh from diarrhea. She gave her first handwashing and hygiene talk to sanitation workers four days after her mother’s death.

“Obviously I was emotionally devastated because of the loss I just incurred, but I also realized the incredible power of storytelling and how people could connect more through stories than through numbers,” she said. “That’s what motivated me to share my story openly and become an advocate for the causes of clean water and sanitation.”

She then started working with other marginalized groups, such as sex workers and slum dwellers.

“They lack very basic knowledge about sanitation and hygiene. For example, they don’t know how to wash their hands properly,” she said.

She said as she gave the talks, she realized she needed to do more. That’s when she decided to start Awareness 360, which seeks to empower young people to create lasting, positive change in an effort to build a better, more inclusive and sustainable world.

She was invited to speak at Culver Academies, one of the top boarding schools in the United States, by Rebecca Hodges, Ph.D., a senior humanities instructor and director of the Global Studies Institute, which sponsored the visit. Chowdhury spoke about the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals to the Model UN team on Monday and on Tuesday she spoke to interested Culver students about youth leadership for global social impact. She told the students there are so many issues that need their attention.