Jude Chisom Erondu on The Platform

Jude Erondu Chisom is a social activist, and senior year undergraduate honors student at Green Mountain College, in Vermont, studying Sustainable Business with a minor in Environmental Policy.

Jude has continued to stand out among his peers on campus by initiating pro-active solutions to problems affecting students' academic and personal success. He has so far held numerous student leadership positions including, member, College Judicial Review Board (2013-2014), Director of Civic Engagement, College Students Senate and Students body President for the 2014/2015 academic year.

Jude has also been a delegate at the Millennium Campus Conference and the AIESEC Youth Action Summit which both held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. He steps on The Platform to tell us about his passion to promote global education which he sees as a tool for the eradication of global hunger and poverty.

ThankGod: When and why did you leave Nigeria? 

Jude: I left Nigeria in 2012 as first from my family and community to study in the United States through Scholarship. Some of the reasons why I left Nigeria include to get the best of education, pursue my dream to question systems that perpetuate inequality and advocate an inclusive society where every child regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or nationality would have access to quality education which I consider the most powerful weapon for personal and global change.

Jude (third from right holding letter E) 

ThankGod: As a young person how involved are you in making the Global Goals a reality by 2030?

Jude: I will start by congratulating the UN Envoy on Youth in person of Ahmad Alhendawi for working hard to ensure that the UN Security Council adopts Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace, Security that urges member states to increase youth participation in decision making across all level of governance. 

As a youth and also global change maker I am currently serving the Sustainable Development Solution Network -Youth (SDSN-Youth) as campus ambassador to bring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) awareness to my college campus! Apart from bringing SDGs to light, I am working and forming great network and synergy with young people from different NGOs and countries to brainstorm ideas on how to educate the youths from our local communities about the new SDGs. The combination of Resolution 2250 and the new SDGs would empower young person like me to get more involve in advancing peace, development, and progress while engaging stakeholders in business, policy makers, and civil society. Outside of SDSN-Youth, I am also serving as Pearson Student Advisory Board Member where I engage and advise Pearson Executives on how to use their educational products to promote quality education which is SDGs #4.

ThankGod: Apart from being a student, what else do you do?

Jude: Hmmmmm! I love travelling, research, cooking, and soccer! I have learned to balance academic work and personal life.

Erondu Jude Chisom and Lani Yin at the UN

ThankGod: You were at the UN sometime last year, can you tell us about it and what you went for? 

Jude: I had the opportunity to attend the first ever AIESEC Youth Action Summit at the UN. The event offered me the opportunity to champion a section on Africa of which at the end of my presentation I came to a conclusion that the continent of Africa is not poor, it is a continent with abundant resources, but the mismanagement of the continent resource is what makes Africa poor. The event offered me the opportunity to witness AIESEC launched its commitment towards the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. At the summit, I meet young leaders from all over the world that are passionate and committed in joining hands to make the new SDGs a reality! In general, it was an eye opening event with enormous benefits for the advancement of our global community as human race! My awe moment was when I had a conversation with Mohammed Khader a young American-Palestine. Mohammed craves for peace in the Middle East as I crave for education for everyone regardless of their religion, race, or ethnicity. Through Mohammed I learned that we can't have development or progress as society without peace. Peace and education are key panacea in combating extremism and eradicating poverty and inequality! Yes, we both agreed that it might be tough, but with hope and faith we both will achieve our dreams to make our world a better place!

Jude at the UN General Assembly Hall in New York

ThankGod: You seem to be very passionate about education, what motivated this course?

Jude: My past experiences to be educated are sources of my motivation. The story you read about me summarizes the reasons why I take my education serious. My family and community back home in Nigeria are also source of my motivation, I own them one thing which is to make them proud at all course!

ThankGod: You've been involved with a lot of volunteering projects in Nigeria and outside Nigeria, would you say you got to where you are right now via volunteering?

Jude: Yes! Volunteering has been one of the secret to my success in academics and in the professional field. Volunteering to me means sowing a seed when the season is good in anticipation of good harvest in drought.

Jude and UN Youth Envoy, Ahmad Alhendawi

ThankGod: Final Question. What's your advice to youths like you around the world on how to be relevant to society?

Jude: There is no shortcut to success! Genuine success comes through hard-work and commitment to humanity. In this trying times, as youth it is our responsibility to neglect violence and promote peace and development. We don't have tomorrow, we only have today to make the change we all crave to see in our world. We need to work with all stakeholders to make SDGs a reality. Our future lies within the success of the new global goals. I am very optimistic that together, we shall overcome the pain of yesterday and the struggles of today.

ThankGod: Thanks Jude, It's been a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you for stepping on The Platform

Jude: It was humbling stepping on The Platform, ThankGod.
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This interview was conducted by ThankGod Okorisha, All rights reserved, 12th January, 2016