News Decoder’s first intern from a partner school, Malik Figaro has an enriching gap year ahead of him.
Malik Figaro
Malik Figaro, who recently graduated from News Decoder partner school Friends Seminary in New York, has joined our educational news service as an intern with the hope of helping to create better global citizens by offering young people a vehicle for change.
“After all I’ve learned about the value of storytelling, I hope to publish more articles and help News Decoder bring global citizenship to more people who aren’t aware of the difference they can make,” said Malik, who is taking a gap year before matriculating at Yale College.
Figaro, 18, is no stranger to News Decoder, having served as a Student Ambassador for two years at Friends Seminary, an independent K-12 school on Manhattan.
Student Ambassadors are a critical link between their school and News Decoder. They promote our program on campus, help organize webinars and workshops and strengthen student and faculty engagement.
“It’s this experience with News Decoder’s team that motivated me to apply as an intern during my gap year,” the Bronx resident said. “I’m excited to immerse myself in a fast-paced environment. I know it’s going to be difficult at times, but I’m looking forward to gaining the unique skill set that comes with being able to coordinate in an organization like News Decoder.”
‘We hope Malik can blaze a trail for others.’
The oldest continuously coeducational school in New York City, Friends Seminary is one of News Decoder’s 20 academic partners in 14 countries. Before Figaro, interns have gone on to journalism, teaching, university studies and graduate school.
Figaro joins News Decoder as the educational news service starts its sixth year of operations, with a revamped website and a renewed commitment to help students around the world become better global citizens. He is the first graduate of a News Decoder partner institution to join as an intern.
“We hope Malik can blaze a trail for others,” said News Decoder founder Nelson Graves. “News Decoder is dedicated to helping young people thrive in a globalized world, and it makes total sense that students from our partner schools should have a crack at helping us raise our game and realize our mission.”
Figaro’s talents and interests include graphic design and advocacy.
“Being a part of the News Decoder team at my high school gave me a cause to advocate for in an unconventional way– the editorial process,” he said “As a teenager, I don’t often find a platform to easily voice my experiences and personal stories. News Decoder has not only provided that space, but also guidance.”
Figaro said that as a Student Ambassador, he honed important skills including organization, leadership, delegation and communication. At university, Figaro hopes to focus on Ethics, Politics and Economics. He enjoys painting and led the Art Club at Friends Seminary.
Tendayi Chirawu is News Decoder’s Communications and School Engagement Manager. A citizen of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia, she has a masters degree in Global Communication & Civil Society from the American University of Paris. She joined News Decoder in July and has experience working for non-profit and for-profit organizations in Africa, Asia and Europe. Chirawu is a published author and has written for international news publications.
