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ABOUT

chizoba

ezenwa

HI THERE! SALUT! HOLA! KEDU!
WELCOME TO MY
GLOBAL PORTFOLIO.

ABOUT

My name is Chizoba Ezenwa and I am a civil servant at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) who served in Benin, West Africa. I established this portfolio while at the University of Florida, studying International Studies with a concentration in Africa. This site serves as a visual representation and living document of my studies and travels in this increasingly globalized world. Below are glimpses of events that have shaped my journey, instilling in me the importance of servant leadership, continuous learning, and capacity building for more sustainable outcomes. I invite you to scroll through these experiences and to also visit my blog, The Bizz in Benin, highlighting more of my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Outside of work, you can find me reading a new book, socializing with friends, working out, writing in my journal, or eating ice cream. 

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. - Mahatma Ghandi

RESUME

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts in International Studies

Minor in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance

University of Florida | May 2017 | Graduated with Honors

Peace Corps Pre-Service Training (PST)

Republic of Benin, West Africa | September – December 2017

  • 354 hours of intensive community-based training while residing with a Beninese family to assist with cultural integration throughout 12-weeks

Food Security Extension Agent

Peace Corps

Republic of Benin, West Africa | September 2017 – November 2019 | Full-Time

Program Assistant

Sahel Research Group

Gainesville, FL | August 2016 – 2017 | Part-Time

Resident Assistant

Department of Housing and Residence Education

Gainesville, FL | August 2014 – May 2017 | Part-Time

Orientation Leader

New Student and Family Programs

Gainesville, FL | October 2015 – January 2016 | Part-Time

WORK
EXPERIENCE
PROFIENCY & SKILLS

Languages: Advanced French, Intermediate Spanish, Elementary Igbo and Nagot/Yoruba

Program Management: Monitoring and Evaluation, Survey Design, Intercultural Facilitation, Training and Curriculum Development, Grant Writing, Event Planning

Computer Literacy: Microsoft Suite, Website Design, Social Media Engagement

RESUME
ICAP 2022

LEADERSHIP

LEADERSHIP

Global Experience

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SEPT 2017 - NOV 2019

PEACE CORPS BENIN: FOOD SECURITY EXTENSION AGENT

After three months of intensive training in southern Benin, I was officially placed in the Donga department in northwest Benin to begin my two-year service as the first ag /econ volunteer in my village. My time in Benin exposed me to the realities of  grassroots development work, improved my French by far, and helped me redefine sustainability by incorporating and prioritizing capacity building. However, most importantly, I built relationships in my village, throughout Benin, and with volunteers turned friends that are sure to last a lifetime. Please feel free to check out my blog The Bizz in Benin for more pics and info about my service. Benin, tu me manques!

2015-2017

INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM & PEACE CORPS PREP

I began the process of compiling all of my experiences at the University of Florida into this very portfolio as a reflection of the global exposure I have gotten and the ways I have internationalized my degree.

MAY - JUNE 2014

UF IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

For six weeks, I lived and learned in the city of Santiago, DR. This service learning trip gave me the opportunity to take courses to improve my Spanish, go on excursions, bond with my host family and serve children, like Felix in the picture below, through the child social service organization, Acción Callejera

AUG 2016 - 2017

SAHEL RESEARCH GROUP PROGRAM ASSISTANT

This was the best way I could have chosen to conclude my senior year. In this group, my biggest responsibility is to produce weekly newsletters about contemporary news in the West African Sahel Region composed of six francophone countries, requiring me to translate French to English. I also helped organize the first Sahel Conference in February 2017.

FEB 2015 - MAY 2016

UNDERGRADUATE REPRESENTATIVE

11th Biennial Conference of the International Society for the Oral Literature of Africa (ISOLA)

I worked alongside two professors and a graduate assistant on the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the ISOLA Conference to solidify a conference theme, organize a budget, and prepare the program. I often translated email from French partipants to English for my professor.

SUMMER 2010-2012

ANAWIM HOME REHABILITATION CENTER VOLUNTEER

This was my first experience working with impoverished communities on the ground as a wide-eyed high school student. From engaging with those with disabilities to typing exams for Anawim's school to aiding in the clinic's HIV/AIDS seminars, this will forever be one of my most memorable acts of service. I was able to revisit the center in December 2019 with a donation courtesy of UF Circle-K International, just in time for the holidays!

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EXPERIENCE
CONTACT

REFLECTION

My mom looked at me and my siblings and said, “Do you think we should have gone on cruises instead of traveling to Nigeria each summer?” My eyes widened. I looked at my brothers. They stared back. We looked at our mother. “No,” we said in unison. “Absolutely not,” I added. My mom smiled and closed her eyes in approval. “I agree,” she replied.

I have been journaling and capturing such thoughts and memories since I received my first notebook in 2003. Reflection is an activity that I consider essential to growth. Below are two such reflections: the first, my thoughts on the globalized experience I had at the University of Florida and the second, a link to my blog covering my two-years of service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Benin, West Africa.

CONTACT

Thank you for visiting!

Feel free to send me a message here.

Chizoba Ezenwa

chizobaoezenwa@gmail.com

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REFLECTION
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