Lia Butanda: UIW student attends United Nations Camp, UNITE 2030

When Lia Butanda came to my office four years ago as a freshman Honors student and History major and I asked her what she wanted to do with her degree, she said she wanted to be a journalist. She then took my Global Refugee course, which changed her outlook of the world, and she said she wanted to work at the United Nations. Since then, she and I worked to make sure that she got there. She started working with the Afghan refugees at Compass Rose Elementary School, teaching English as Second Language (ESL) to my young refugee Afghan mentee, and finally in 2023, I took her to present her research at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women on Empowering Afghan Girls.

And then Unite 2030 happened. I found the advertisement and sent it to her to apply.

Per the organization’s website, “UNITE 2030 is one of the largest communities of ambitious, passionate, and action-oriented social impact leaders from 175+ countries.” At Unite 2030’s competitive camp, the organization helps “changemakers identify pressing social and environmental problems, gain the necessary clarity to tackle them, and develop actionable plans to build and launch their social businesses.”

In Lia’s own words:

“When I first heard of UNITE 2030’s Camp, I couldn’t believe such a program existed. I was eager and grateful just to send in my application. On April 23, 2024, I received an email with the subject, “YOU’RE GOING TO CAMP.” I couldn’t believe that I had been chosen out of over 2,000 applicants worldwide to attend Camp 2030 in NYC from September 7 - 14, 2024. I was one of the 85 selected participants and only four were selected from the United States.

Now as I reflect on the past week of my life, having just come back from Camp, I find my experience at Camp 2030 was full of inspiration and memories that will last a lifetime. Through UNITE 2030’s Camp, I was selected out of over 2,000 applicants to work with the world’s leading change makers, creating solutions to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). My team and I created a solution to SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, that promises the safety and security of working girls and women in rural West Bengal. We named our solution “Project Veri”. With Project Veri, my team and I won our SDG track and were able to present as finalists at the Change Makers Summit In New York City on Saturday. We won the 4th position.

This experience not only created a winning solution to SDG 10, but it gave me the confidence and reassurance I need to work towards my dream of working with the United Nations.

With the guidance and support of my academic advisor Dr. Lopita Nath, I felt confident and prepared to represent San Antonio and my Cardinal community! Camp 2030 gave me some of the most inspiring moments, people, and experiences, which I will cherish forever.”

Lia Butanda has also presented her research at the San Antonio Southwest Conference on Asian Studies in 2023, UIW Research Day, and the International Alliance on Health, Physical Education, Dance and Sports in Tokyo, Japan, in July 2024. She is also a dancer who has participated in the Bollywood Club and is the president of Students Supporting Refugees and the Asian Culture Club.

She is graduating from UIW with Honors, with a Bachelor of Arts in History, with a minor in Spanish, in December 2024. Lia Butanda is one of the stars of UIW.