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Changing the World, One Spark at a Time

“Connecting West to West,” a Spark Tank project developed by Mariam Diallo ’25, provides school supplies to schools in West Africa and empowers students to take advantage of educational opportunities, exemplifying Spark Tank’s far-reaching impact on Dwight students and communities worldwide.

Spark Tank, founded in 2015 by the Dwight School Foundation, is both an entrepreneurial incubator program that encourages students to invent, create, and follow their dreams, and a unique opportunity for students to turn ideas into action and help those in need. 

In fact, in recent years, the program has increasingly become a space for nonprofit initiatives. Matt Moran, Spark Tank Program Director, explains that students have been driven by a desire to “have an impact,” and the program is therefore “a great model for students who want to gain leadership experience.” For example, projects like Mission Essentials, which provides hygiene products, clothing, school supplies, food, and more daily necessities to New Yorkers in need, was developed by Danielle Reische ’25, Grace Capiraso ’25, and Maria Arutyunyan ’25.

The nonprofit projects supported by Spark Tank give students real-world experiences and skills that they would not normally be exposed to in traditional classrooms. Owing to the projects’ independent nature, students learn how to sort out logistics, fundraise, and manage campaigns. The projects also teach determination in the face of potential hurdles. 

Mariam Diallo ’25 is a student who defied expectations and made the seemingly “impossible” possible. Though Mariam’s project presented a number of logistical challenges, with mentorship from the Spark Tank team, support from the Dwight School Foundation, and WISER (Women’s Institute for Secondary Education and Research) — and Mariam’s determination and inspiring will — many of these issues were resolved. As a result, “Connecting West to West” affected real change and was a major success, providing school supplies to students in Guinea.

The path to success was years in the making. Her initial idea was to provide school supplies to students in West Africa. As Mr. Moran explained, Mariam was motivated by her realization “that there were privileges she had in her education in the US… that people in Guinea who she was connected to didn't have.” 

Over time, the goal of “Connecting West to West” became broader, with the hopes of empowering education. To Mariam, “empowering education” means not only to support students in Guinea, but also to inspire students here to recognize the value of school, education, and academics as a whole. With her project, she hopes to encourage them to embrace the opportunities they have and to engage in similar projects that yield meaningful results. Mariam said, “I want people to understand that in Western countries, we do have the better side of things. In a lot of parts in Western Africa, school is poorly funded. So we should understand the advantage that we have, and make use of that. Even though there are a bunch of obstacles that may be in the way of the students there, they can still achieve through the help of our organization.”

So the work is ongoing to empower education, but there has already been one concrete result of Mariam's project: On November 7, 2024, she traveled to Guinea, where she distributed 200 bags of supplies to students. She emphasized the invaluable support that made this achievement possible, noting that Spark Tank was “extremely helpful, especially in mentoring.” She added, “I think the mentoring that I received and just the sheer exposure that I've received has been incredible on Spark Tank, and especially the Dwight faculty, like Mr. Moran, Mr. Hansen, my deans… overall, they've been very helpful in spreading the word, and helping me make it the best it can be.”

Her work has been noticed. “Connecting West to West” has been featured in Guinean news. In a recent article, the principal of the school where Mariam provided supplies was “over the moon” and expressed deep gratitude to Mariam, stating, “Despite her young age, she performed a heroic act.”

Read the full article here.

 

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