A current student and a recent graduate from Methodist University are utilizing their talents to impact the world.

Recently, Projects for Peace – an initiative that provides funding to student-led projects – awarded two separate $10,000 grants to Methodist University senior Hannah Mulbah (Biology with a minor in Chemistry) and recent graduate Zakia Najafizada ’24 (Computer Information Technology with a concentration in Interactive Multimedia Application Development).

The grants will allow Mulbah and Najafizada to fund projects that will tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues. They are two of just 129 students across the country to receive the prestigious grant from Projects for Peace.

Mulbah is leading a project called “Establishment of First Aid Ambassadors in 10 Secondary Schools”, which will bring first aid training to her home country, Liberia.

In June, Mulbah and a team of trained volunteers will travel to Liberia to meet directly with 10 high schools, training two students and a teacher/administrator the basics of first aid. She hopes this training will help save lives both in the short term and long term.

“This is a big need,” said Mulbah in a press release. She is set to graduate from Methodist University in May 2025. “Back home, we don’t have a health department in schools. If a student is sick or injures themselves, there’s nowhere to go at school. They send you home to your parents to get treated so something like this is necessary.”

Mulbah’s inspiration for the project also comes from her own personal experience as a student in Liberia.

“When I was in school, I was ill and when I recovered, my legs were weak,” she said. “I used to fall and catch myself a lot. The school would force my older brother, who was in 9th grade at the time, to take me off sometimes, which meant we weren’t in class. That’s where I hope this project can make a difference. If more students can stay in school because first aid is offered there, it’s a plus.”

During the process of applying for the grant, Mulbah led all the necessary work like calculating a budget, speaking with organizations and schools, and creating a vision – a job well worth the effort.

“My whole life people have been giving to me so this is an opportunity for me to give back to my community,” Mulbah said.

Najafizada, who came to Methodist University from Afghanistan, is spearheading a project named “Education Without Limits”, which will enhance “Amoozesh” – an app created by Najafizada dedicated to teaching English to Afghan women through the Persian language.

The grant will improve three key areas for the app: 1) accessibility to users by expanding from a mobile-only app to compatibility with computers and laptops as well, 2) enhanced content that expands to more in-depth areas and possibly more subjects outside of English, and 3) expanding the target audience to all Afghanistan refugees who now live in another country while providing them with culturally-relevant learning content.

While most projects are based in a single country or city, this technology-focused project has the ability to reach multiple countries all at the same time.

“The shelf life of this app is 50 years, which is a lot” Najafizada said in a press release. “We want to bring a creative way to increasing access to education. This doesn’t need a building, library, or school. We can reach out to people immediately with this project.”

The funding will help with the cost of software development, content creation, and design. Najafizada said Amoozesh recently became a nonprofit corporation, allowing her to hire developers from her home country.

“I’m thankful for this grant because it is opening doors to a better future for Afghan women and it’s the first step towards creating something that can be long lasting. This allows us to have great purpose and become influential in someone’s education,” she said.

Najafizada said the app and the project would not be possible without her education at Methodist University.

“Methodist University has become home,” Najafizada said. “It’s a supportive community that encouraged me to take on this project. The education taught me how to code, create an application, and develop it over time. The fact that it’s one of the most diverse universities has opened my eyes to all of the ways MU students help their country. Methodist University is not only an educational institution for me, it’s a support system that helped me start this project.”