Wendyam Ouedraogo

Wendyam Ouedraogo was born in West Africa, specifically in Niamey, Niger where his foundation as a global minded and concerned educator began. Although, he was born in Niger, his parents come from Minnesota and Burkina Faso. He spent his adolescence in Oceanside, CA, a diversely populated area where he witnessed some friends and acquaintances falter and others succeed in their environment and added to his concern for equity, not only in education, but in all opportunities.

Wendyam finished High School in Oceanside before he left home and studied in Riverside at UC Riverside for his undergraduate education. Circumstances led him to put his education on hold to travel back to his father’s roots in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and his thirst for learning and motivation to excel returned to him and put him on the path that he avoided for so long, even when so many friends and family members knew he had the skill, a career in education and coaching. This occurred when the administrative staff noticed his acumen in tutoring and ability to promote success within students who don’t see that success within themselves through his tutoring and basketball coaching and granted him as a special needs assistant at the International School of Ouagadougou and girls basketball coach. He realized his talent for inspiring others to see the best in themselves and reach heights they didn’t believe they could reach.

Wendyam has returned to Oceanside where he continues to work as a lead high school tutor for all subjects but with emphasis on mathematics and history, a student support assistant, and high school basketball coach. After a long delay, he is finally finishing his undergraduate with a Major in Global Studies with a focus on Economics and Education at UCR. Wendyam believes that to truly bring out the best in any individual worldwide, discriminatory obstacles whether they be race, gender, sexuality, environment, etc. must be tackled and addressed so that the bottomless pool of talent that the world has to offer can be expressed and have the most positive impact that we have ever seen.