Zim Ugochukwu was honored as one of Glamour’s 20 Amazing Young Women at the 2010 Glamour Women of the Year Awards. Read about the other honorees here.
Name:
Zim Ugochukwu
Age:
22
Year in school and school:
Senior, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Your email address:
Your website:
Your “claim to fame” – aka why you were part of Glamour’s 20 Amazing Young Women!:
I am the VP of Activism management at helloCHANGE, the nation’s largest youth-run anti-tobacco organization;
I also started a group of college students called Ignite Greensboro to raise awareness and money about the international civil rights museum. We host cool programs, speaking engagements, a scholarship program and gave the museum [at it’s opening] an intergenerational gift. Since the opening of the museum, we have shifted the focus to providing a medium for students to get involved in learning about the culture and the history of Greensboro;
I cloned and characterized a gene as a sophomore in college!
…that’s my claim to fame!
What are you doing to change the world?
Inspiring others to be the very best that they can be. Helping people realize that they are powerful and encouraging them to believe that one person has the power to change the world around them
What was your inspiration for this?
I saw people not engaging in their life! If somebody was sad or angry about something, they did nothing! There is nothing worse than knowing that you can do something about an issue and you don’t do it!
What is a quotation or message that drives you?
If you know me, you know that I am a LOVER of quotes.. If I had to choose ONE..: “Live life in crescendo. This means that your greatest work and contribution is always ahead of you.”
What has been your proudest accomplishment so far?
Being told how much I inspire other young women, peers and older adults. I just never felt like I had that much impact on people!
At what one point did you really feel like you’d made an impact?
When people started calling me and asking me for advice on how to start their own projects/organizations, I knew I had made some kind of impact.
What would you say was the “coolest” moment in your life thus far?
I’d have to say that Glamour mag takes the cake!
If someone gave you a million dollars to benefit your cause (or your research, your company, etc.) what would you use it for?
I would use it for seed grants for students wanting to start their own projects and build their ideas. Supporting and collaborating with others is a powerful force that is often overlooked… I would spend my money doing that.
What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this?
Probably riding the fins of dolphins in the Atlantic, surfing the coral reefs, hot-air ballooning over France and trekking the Amazon… in that order.
What 3 adjectives would people use to describe you?
Energetic, passionate, emotional
What is your biggest weakness?
Patience is my all-time weakness. Sometimes I like to operate on my own time :(
Who is your hero and why?
My mommy!! Growing up, I was profoundly shaped by the hardships of my mother. We lived very modestly in Rochester, Minnesota, a small racially homogenous town that failed to reflect our Nigerian heritage. After withdrawing herself from an extremely abusive relationship steeped in an uneven power dynamic, she raised my brother and me alone for the next 20 years, working 12 hour shifts daily and juggling two jobs. She is the strongest woman I know.
Which of this year’s Glamour WOTY award winners would you most like to meet and why?
I would love to meet Queen Rania, she seems so down to earth. She has a genuine belief that she has the power to change the world, and I think that that is the spark that everyone needs to search themselves for. If everyone believed that they could make a meaningful impact, I think that this world would be a different place.
..she is also so funny!
What was your favorite part of Glamour’s WOTY Awards?
OPRAH.
OPRAH.
OPRAH.
OPRAH.
What did you wear to Glamour’s WOTY Awards?
A beige, khaki and olive green bandage dress with some 6 inch heels!
Who did you bring as your guest to Glamour’s WOTY Awards?
My mommy!
Who do you think should win a Glamour WOTY Award next year?
I would love to see woman from my country [Nigeria] win.
What is your favorite thing about Glamour magazine?
They honor the achievements of women all the time, period.
What does “glamour” mean to you?
Glamour means confidence. Confidence is glamour. If you believe in something and you work your hardest to achieve it, you are glamorous. You are capable of doing anything and everything you set your mind to. Go ahead, be glamorous! Be charismatic, special and charming in your very own way!
How does it feel to be honored as one of Glamour Magazine’s 20 young women who are already changing the world?
Wow. I still can’t believe it. To be in such great company was something that I could not have asked for. The other 19 amazing young women inspired me to be bigger, bolder, stronger, wiser, more aggressive, imaginative, tenacious, humble and loving. If I didn’t learn anything from this Glamour Women of the Year Awards, I learned the true power of women.
What advice would you give to our college women readers?
Dream big, believe in yourself and never give up or take no for an answer. As long as you believe in you, everything else will fall into place. You know yourself better than anyone else. Play up on those traits. Take action, the only person holding you back is yourself.