Zaniya Lewis

Zaniya joins Fox29 News to share her experience being the Seventeen Magazine contest winner.

Zaniya receives the opportunity of a lifetime, meeting Former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Zaniya was chosen 1 out of 3 student-athletes in the United States to travel with the NBPA and NBA on an amazing community service to South Africa in 2015.

Zaniya Lewis is a senior at The George Washington University majoring in Political Science. Zaniya Lewis is the Founder/CEO and Executive Director of YesSheCanCampaign which is a youth-led 501(c)(3) national organization and movement that inspires, empowers, and shares the stories of girls and young women who are overcoming adversity while striving to complete their education. She has won five national contests. She is a writer, blogger, activist, and speaker. She has been featured in Seventeen, 6abc Action News, Fox 29 Good Day, NBC10 News, Sports Illustrated Kids, Courier Post, CBS News Dear President Trump Campaign, MAKERS Women and more. In the summer of 2015, Zaniya was chosen 1 out of 3 student athletes in the United States to travel with the NBPA and NBA on an amazing community service trip to South Africa. In 2016, Zaniya was a co-winner of Former First Lady Michelle Obama and Seventeen Better Make Room National Contest. She interviewed Mrs.Obama and appeared on the cover of the May 2016 issue of Seventeen. In 2016, Zaniya won the MTV and CoverGirl Prom #covermoment Contest. In 2017, Zaniya also won two 1,000 Dream Fund contests.

Zaniya served on the New Jersey National Guard Teen Panel for six years, where she helped to create programs, camps and trips for military kids. She interned in the Office of Assemblyman Troy Singleton where she was able to help develop legislation to further this cause. She helped develop A3601, which aims to require the Department of Education to create military-connected student identifier for inclusion in student-level databases. The bill was passed in June of 2015. She also interned for Aimee Belgard for Congress campaign.

Additionally, she served on the Ronald McDonald House Teen Advisory Council for two years, helping raise funds and volunteering to support the families of sick children. With the help of her friends at high school, Zaniya co-founded The Kindness Project, a community service club that organizes and manages school-wide service activities at her high school.

She served as a Day of the Girl Action Team member writing articles about Women Empowerment, Political Representation, Education and more. She is currently on the Student Advisory Board for the 1,000 Dreams Fund.

Her writing has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Day of the Girl-US, Kindraising, Clover Letter, Her Campus and more.  In June 2016, she received the New Jersey Civilian Meritorious Service Medal in honor of the community service she has done in New Jersey. In February of 2018, she was selected as a recipient of Young, Gifted and Woke Influential Speakers To Watch In 2018.  In May of 2019, Zaniya became a three time Taco Bell Foundation Live Mas Scholar. In May of 2019, Zaniya and her organization YesSheCanCampaign received the New Jersey Governor's and Jefferson award for Public Service.

In July of 2019, Zaniya became a recipient of the Diana Award, which is  the highest accolade a young person can achieve for social action or humanitarian efforts, due to her work with the YesSheCanCampaign. In the summer of 2019, Zaniya interned with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

In August 2019, Zaniya was awarded The Steven and Diane Robinson Knapp Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Service-Learning  to start a new YesSheCanCampaign program called The Climb Is Our Story in Washington D.C. In addition, Zaniya is currently an Entrepreneurial Fellow for the GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

 Zaniya's mission is to inspire others to keep climbing and to use their passions to make a difference in the world.
Email: zaniyalewis@yesshecancampaign.org 
Website: www.zaniyaklewis.com