*six-two 35 under 35 changemakers of 2018 nominee – water category
Did you know over 1.2 billion people live in areas of water scarcity? It’s going to take a multitude of solutions to make a real difference, but solutions is exactly what 18 year old Erica Wang is determined to find.
Nominated by Seth Maxwell, our water category judge in six-two’s 35 under 35 initiative, Erica joins our list of young changemakers for her ability to bring powerful ideas to the table and, more importantly, bring them to life.
Executive Director and Co-Founder of Walk4CleanWater (alongside Michael Miller, a fellow 35 under 35 nominee), Erica has always been destined for greatness. As a current student at Duke University, Erica has always excelled academically, but during her junior year of high school noticed something missing in her life. She found out about the water crisis, and decided that the something missing was a commitment to serving others. She worked tirelessly with Michael to build Walk4CleanWater into what it is today, and she has helped dozens of students around the world plan walks of their own.
Erica & Michael founded Walk4CleanWater as a means of taking action, and involves inspiring and activating young people to get involved. The organisation uniquely tackles the global water crisis abroad while empowering youth in the U.S. with invaluable leadership experience. Gathering youth of all ages and backgrounds together, Erica & Michael are uniting people towards a common goal: ending the fact that 663 million people lack access to clean water.
Under Erica’s leadership, she has helped plan nearly a dozen water walks around the world, while also raising over $45,000 at her own school to help build 4 water wells in developing communities. These resulting water wells provide children with access to education, reduce illnesses overnight, and set communities on the path to sustainability.
Want to join the community and make a change? You can find out more about Walk4CleanWater here.
To learn more about the six-two 35 under 35 initiative, and to see the individuals who made the list, head here.