Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Burkina Faso, West Africa
Major: International affairs and international business
Student organizations/activities: African Student Association, club soccer, Dean’s Council for Multicultural Recruitment, French club, Lerner Health and Wellness Center employee, GW Athletic Department fan council member
Previous SA experience: a general member of diversity and inclusion committee
Favorite GWorld spot: Potbelly
Favorite off-campus spot: Cafe Rio Mexican Grill in Falls Church, Virginia
Dream job: President of Burkina Faso
Favorite childhood memory: Playing soccer barefoot in his neighborhood in Burkina Faso all-day
Proudest GW moment: Meeting Kristalina Georgieva, the World Bank’s then-chief executive officer, and Christine Lagarde, the International Monetary Fund’s then-managing editor at GeorgeTalksBusiness last year
Fun fact: I have 11 brothers and sisters
Favorite place in the world: Burkina Faso
Role model: Thomas Sankara, the former president of Burkina Faso
Christian Zidouemba is a “people person.”
He said his employment at the Lerner Health and Wellness Center helped him build friendships and get to know constituents, allowing him to hear the concerns of a diverse array of students. He said his student employee perspective and constant interaction with students are “important” characteristics for an SA leader, especially the president.
“From Greek life to the Muslim community to the Asian community – everybody and anybody who struggles, no matter your background, this campaign isn’t about Christian – but all of us,” he said.
Zidouemba said he created a platform that highlights “multidimensional inclusion” and community. If elected, he vowed to increase personal advising opportunities and add more GWorld vendor options for students of different backgrounds, like local Asian grocery stores and more Halal restaurants.
“Providing different options for different people on this campus would be a better place for GW to call themselves a diverse and international campus,” he said. “I think it’s time we expand the food option for every community on our campus.”
He said he would work with officials to provide a biweekly van to transport students to Asian-specific grocery stores outside of Foggy Bottom. He said the Asian-specific grocery stores that provide a diverse menu of food options are located in Arlington, Virginia, which is inaccessible for many students.
“What I’m saying is everybody in our campus needs to be recognized because oftentimes, not everyone has been recognized on our campus,” he said.
Zidouemba added that he would increase the number of alumni events and job search programs across the University so students can plan for their future after GW. He said that in conversations with seniors, students have told him they haven’t yet figured out plans post-graduation, which he said is “frustrating” because the price of attending GW is relatively high.
“If the University claims itself to be an inclusive place, I think it is time that we create those programs for everybody on our campus,” he said.
