By Dave DeFusco
When Katz School graduate student Sinokhuthaba Sibanda talks about her passion for digital marketing, she starts with something deeper than analytics or brand strategy: the need to help people access the right information. Before coming to New York to study in the Katz School鈥檚 M.S in Digital Marketing and Media, she trained in development studies and worked in humanitarian outreach across rural communities in Zimbabwe, supporting young girls, distributing sanitary supplies and working with organizations serving people in remote areas.
鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 always been about getting people the information they need about health, human rights, climate change鈥攁nything that can help them live better,鈥 she said. 鈥淒igital marketing is just another way of reaching people. It lets you share those messages with a wider audience.鈥
That same instinct for connection is what drew her to One to World, a New York City鈥揵ased global leadership and cultural exchange program for international students. One to World, she said, became 鈥渁 home,鈥 a place where people not only listened to her stories but wanted to understand them.
鈥淲hen people are ready to listen and are fascinated by your background, that makes you feel you belong,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 love telling stories, but you don鈥檛 always get the audience. At One to World, I did.鈥
Through One to World鈥檚 Global Classroom, Sibanda began presenting about Zimbabwe鈥攊ts 16 languages, its diversity and, most of all, her Ndebele heritage.
鈥淧eople think Africa is a country,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 always explain that it鈥檚 made up of many nations鈥攎ore than 50. And I show them my tribe鈥檚 wedding attire and history. I want them to see who we are.鈥
Standing in front of American classrooms also helped her grow. She worried students wouldn鈥檛 understand her accent. Instead, they asked thoughtful questions, complimented her clarity and encouraged her confidence. One student even told her: 鈥淵ou should start a podcast. People would love your voice.鈥
She hopes that she will one day. She wants to use digital storytelling to tackle topics that are still taboo in some African homes: gender issues, mental health and cultural norms that, she said, hold people back. 鈥淭here are no obstacles to talking about these things in the United States,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ack home, it can be harder. But those are the conversations our societies need.鈥
Her biggest lesson from One to World is to never judge someone based on their background. 鈥淲hen you really listen to people鈥檚 cultures,鈥 she said, 鈥測ou realize we鈥檙e all one but just shaped by different geographies.鈥
In addition to Sibanda, several other Katz School students contributed their voices and cultural insights through One to World, enriching classrooms across New York City. Among them were Farai Chikamhi, Jesca Muzamhindo, Monika Shirke and Ropafadzo Zimunya (M.S. in Digital Marketing and Media), Franklin Mangwaira (M.S. in Biotrechnology Management and Entrepreneurship) and Benedict Muringakumwe (M.S. in Data Analytics & Visualization).
Shirke, who presented her workshop 鈥淕lobal Citizenship in Practice: Culture, Identity & Shared Responsibility,鈥 challenged students to reflect on how culture shapes their perspective, what global citizenship means and how traditions, from Diwali to American holidays, can adapt to support sustainability. From asking students to locate India on a map to debating whether cultural practices should evolve for climate action, Shirke created experiences that blended diplomacy, storytelling and global awareness.
Her time with One to World, she said, strengthened her public speaking, deepened her understanding of cultural diplomacy, and helped her feel part of a multicultural community that mirrored New York itself. 鈥淭he team at One To World represents the spirit of the city,鈥 she said. 鈥淧eople from different countries working in harmony.鈥
For Mangwaira, One to World offered something he had always loved doing back home in Zimbabwe: speaking to young people, raising awareness and sharing perspectives across cultures.
He joined as a global guide to improve his presentation skills in a new environment, and discovered that his voice carried more impact than he expected. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know students would remember me months later,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut I received gift cards with notes saying what they learned from my presentation. That touched me the most.鈥
In classrooms across New York City, Mangwaira, who is president of the Katz School Student Association, teaches students about Zimbabwe鈥檚 flag, wildlife, culture and heritage. Their reactions often surprise him: disbelief that African countries have modern universities, shock that Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world or fascination with the baobab trees that can live more than a thousand years.
He also tackles difficult topics, like poverty and child marriage, carefully using global and U.S. data to show how widespread the issue is and its effect on young children. Students, he said, were stunned to learn the practice exists in parts of America, too. His experience at One to World reinforced something he had long believed: 鈥淵ou might come from a small country,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut you still have the power to make the world a safe place for everyone.鈥
