Global Institute for Diversity and Change

From M. T. V. and B. E. T. to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Yewande's socially charged music has captured thousands with the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, Enrique Iglesias, Maroon 5, India Arie and Sean Paul. But it is her work as an award-winning activist, public speaker and cultural ambassador that has become perhaps her greatest achievement.

In 2004, Yewande Austin launched her first nation-wide Change Rocks College Tour with one profound message YOU have the power to change the world!. The responses to this seemingly simple mantra were filled with sobering questions about race, identity and other deeply personal obstacles her youngest listeners seemed eager to share. And so, combining her classical music and business studies from Howard University and Carnegie Mellon Universitys Conservatory of Music and with nearly ten years of corporate and non-profit experience, Ms. Austin established the Global Institute for Diversity and Change (formerly the Change Rocks Institute).

Her mission to change the world hardly ends in the lecture halls of universities across the country. Since 2008, the United States Embassy in Malawi, Africa has recognized Yewande as an honorary Cultural Ambassador for her commitment to fostering education and sustainable skill development for AIDS orphans and disadvantaged children in the developing world. Ms. Austin is currently pursuing an M. A. in Ethnomusicology at the prestigious University of Sheffield in England where she has dedicated much of her research to exploring the historical connection between music and social change. It is this inspirational commitment to education, social justice and change that has captivated thousands around the world.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Yewande Austin
• Diversity
• Race
• Prejudice
• Music
• College Programs