From local classrooms to global stages, Tilting Futures alumni are putting their purpose into practice. Whether they’re advancing human rights, reimagining education, or shaping peacebuilding efforts across borders, these young leaders are creating impact that ripples far beyond their programs.
Meet Brooke, Fowzan, and Fatima — three changemakers turning vision into action, all around the world.
A Glimpse Into a Student-Led Apprenticeship Project
Fowzan Haq, a 20-year-old student from India with a technology background, joined Take Action Lab: Human Rights with one driving goal: to learn how to use innovation as a tool for social change. During his apprenticeship at Green Riders, a South African electric motorbike company focused on economic development, he noticed a challenge others overlooked: employees were disengaged during traditional, lecture-based training.
Instead of accepting the status quo, Fowzan applied the principles he was learning through Take Action Lab: agency, systems thinking, and real-world problem solving. He pitched a gamified, self-guided mobile training app, and then he built it. The CEO was so impressed that the company adopted it organization-wide. They now train faster, track employee progress in real time, and have higher staff-engagement.
Fowzan’s story is a powerful example of what happens when young people are equipped not just with knowledge, but with purpose, confidence, and the tools to lead. Now, Fowzan has hands-on experience driving real social innovation – a skill that will help him create more positive change going forward. This is exactly the kind of impact you and our collective community of philanthropic partners make possible.
Brooke Found Her Voice — Across Borders and Against the Current
Brooke Mumbi joined the virtual Academy cohort from her bedroom in Kenya, eager to build global connections and stretch her thinking. A year later, she traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, for Take Action Lab, where she apprenticed with a nonprofit focused on refugee and immigrant law. Working at the intersection of justice and migration, she gained firsthand experience navigating complex systems — and a clearer sense of her purpose.
Now a Political Science and Economics major at Middlebury College, Brooke is exploring the policy and economic levers that drive social change. This summer, she interned in Global Accessories and Licensing at New Balance while living with a Tilting Futures alum family in Massachusetts. This spring, she stepped onto the TEDx stage as Middlebury’s student speaker with a talk titled Swimming Against the Current — a moving reflection on staying true to your path, even when it feels like the world is pulling you in another direction.
Brooke’s journey is proof that when young people are equipped with the tools, confidence, and community to lead, they rise. Her story — and the ripples of impact she’s creating — are possible because of the support of our global network.
From Cape Town to Central Asia: One Student’s Path to Peacebuilding
Fatima Baimakhanova‘s journey toward purpose and impact began with a question. She joined Take Action Lab hoping to find clarity — and left with new questions, deeper conviction, and the tools to drive change.
As a Fall 2023 participant in Cape Town, Fatima apprenticed with the Philisa Abafazi Bethu Women’s Center, a grassroots organization supporting women, children, and families. Her work ranged from coordinating logistics for community events like the Annual Bazaar and 16 Days of Activism, to designing afterschool education plans, preparing meals, and restocking clothing supplies. Through it all, she discovered a passion for service — and the power of community-based work to advance human rights and dignity.
Now, Fatima is continuing her impact on a global scale. She was recently selected from over 370 applicants across six countries to join the 2025 Preventive Diplomacy Academy, hosted by the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA). As one of just 48 participants, she’s taking part in a high-level program focused on youth leadership, peacebuilding, and regional cooperation, diving deep into issues like gender equality, cybersecurity, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Fatima credits Take Action Lab with helping her discover her voice as a changemaker and root her activism in real-world experience. Her journey reminds us that purpose isn’t something you find all at once — it’s something you build, with curiosity, courage, and the support of a global community.
