George Zama ’25 reflects on Radford, resilience and giving back

George Zama '25 has always believed that success means little unless it elevates others. An immigrant from West Africa raised by a single mother, he has spent his years in the United States focused on building opportunity through discipline, faith and an entrepreneurial mindset that has already led him into buying and selling luxury cars and real estate.

But when he transferred to Radford University in 2022 to study marketing in the Davis College of Business and Economics, he found something he hadn't expected: an academic community that shaped not only how he approaches business, but how he understands leadership.

"My experience at Radford University taught me ample things I can carry through life, but the most notable one would be to utilize your support system," he said. "Radford University shares a trait that not many institutions share today, and that's an ecosystem of passionate and caring instructors and faculty that truly desire a positive outcome for the future leaders of tomorrow."

He credits faculty across campus, including professors Luke Liska, Yumie Mu, Maneesh Thakkar, Dale Henderson, Henry Schaefer, Melanie Butler, Don Rieley and Richard Gruss, as well as President Bret Danilowicz and Radford University Police Department Lt. Jay Elliott-Workman, with offering "fruitful wisdom, distinguished insights and esteemed lessons" that will stay with him long after graduation.

His business coursework also reshaped his understanding of risk, strategy and resilience.

"The most important business lesson or skill I've learned thus far," he said, "is that no matter how much thought, how many calculations or how much contemplation you've endured before taking action in a certain industry or idea, there will always be a certain degree of unexpected or unaccounted for occurrences that will attempt to derail you. With a fortified mind and relentless resilience and consistency, triumph has no choice but to show itself."

This fall, as he neared graduation, Zama felt a renewed pull toward service, something he has practiced quietly for years. He hoped to support families during the holiday season and began reaching out in the Radford community to identify where he could make a meaningful difference.

"I believe the only way to show gratitude is to give back to the world that gave you a chance," he said.

Through personal connections and outreach to Radford's Highlander HOPE Initiative, he met Hassan El-Amin and Derondre "Dre" Parker, both raising young daughters. Zama offered each father the chance to make their children's holiday a little brighter.

When El-Amin shared concerns about affording gifts, Zama reassured him.

"Don't worry about Christmas for your little girl. Worry about something else. Don't take that stress." El-Amin later described the experience as wonderful. "George said, 'Get anything you and your little girl need. Whatever you need for yourself.' It was amazing. She is going to love her 'Frozen' bike."

Parker, a Radford University social work major, expressed gratitude as well.

"Buying gifts for my daughter was honestly heartwarming," he said. "I didn't really know how to take it at first. Being able to give her things I wouldn't have been able to provide on my own meant more than I can put into words." Learning about Zama's background inspired him. "After I graduate and I'm in a position to do the same, I want to give back and bless someone the way he blessed my daughter and me."

For Zama, the gesture was a promise kept, one he made long before he stepped onto Radford's campus.

"I haven't always had the easiest upbringing or the best-dealt cards in life, but America gave my family and me the opportunity to change that," he said. "Since arriving, God has blessed me… and I always told myself I would give back … [This] is a small price to pay for a memorable Christmas for two little girls and an easier holiday season for two single dads."

This season, his generosity strengthened two families and the community he now calls home. This is a reflection of Radford University's culture of care and of the kind of leader he hopes to continue becoming.