An 11-year-old award-winning U.S. documentary film maker is making a name for herself as an advocate for education of African girls, BBC Africa TV/ARISE Network reports.

Zuriel Oduwole focuses on issues ranging from safe education for African girls to re-branding Africa and the impact education can make on Africa’s future development.

Zuriel spoke in London to BBC and two other networks about girls’ education at a time when the future of more than 200 kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls brings the issue of girls’ education in Africa, but specifically Nigeria, to the global forefront.

Zuriel spoke about her 2-year-year old Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up
project and how she has interviewed nine African presidents.

“I have a great time interviewing presidents and prime ministers,” she said. “They treat me like I was their own granddaughter.”

An American schoolgirl of Nigerian and Mauritian descent, Zuriel said she has noticed in Africa that, “instead of being in school there’s a lot of girls on the streets selling products trying to make money for their families.” She started the Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up
project, she said, to show these girls’ parents herself as an example of what girls can do with an education.

Zuriel wants to be president of the U.S. as opposed to president of an African country. Why? She can influence more people that way, she told BBC.

Regarding the kidnappings, Zuriel said, “Me as a girl, I cant imagine being taken away from my home to a strange place with a bunch of strange people but I am hoping that the governments are able to find the girls and bring them home safely.”

Zuriel’s recurring message: “follow your dreams and if someone puts you down don’t listen to them.”