Ola Ojewumi
Is an activist, journalist, and a community organizer based in Washington, DC. Presently, she works as a contributor at the Huffington Post and within a federal agency in Washington, DC. She founded two nonprofits, Sacred Hearts Children’s Transplant Foundation and the Project ASCEND – a college scholarship program providing financial assistance to disabled youth. Diagnosed with mitochondrial disease and the recipient of both a heart and kidney transplant, Odunola’s advocacy work began in high school when after writing to her school board about accessibility standards, she was asked to represent more than 150,000 students by serving on the Prince George’s County Disabilities Advisory Board. She then moved on to effectively lobby the Maryland State Legislature to expand Medicaid to 800,000 uninsured residents. This was the start of a career in disability advocacy, and after graduating from the University of Maryland College Park, led her to work in the White House, serving on the White House Kitchen Cabinet on Disability and on Capitol Hill. Thus far, the White House, MTV, Glamour magazine, Intel, Essence magazine and the Huffington Post have praised her initiatives. Additionally, Glamour Magazine has named Ola among the top 10 most influential college women in the United States. Ola holds a strong passion for writing and speaking. She’s held internships in the White House, Democratic Leader/Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Democratic National Committee (DNC/Democratic Party), and Congressmen Albert R. Wynn’s Congressional Office. Additionally, she’s served as Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley and a DNC Hope Fellow.
