UI grad nominated for CNN award

A University of Idaho graduate involved in philanthropic work is among five people from around the world who have earned a prestigious honor from CNN.

Payton McGriff, 30, is a finalist for the CNN Hero of the Year award, which recognizes people who come up with solutions to help communities across the globe. The winner will earn $100,000 to continue their work.

For McGriff, that work is helping girls in Togo, Africa, gain an education and employment through her nonprofit, Style Her Empowered (SHE).

McGriff was a senior at the UI in 2017 when a book she read opened her eyes to how school uniforms have become a barrier for girls wanting to receive an education in developing countries.

She said the ability to afford a uniform could be the “difference-maker in whether or not a girl goes to school.”

“School uniforms are one of the largest financial barriers to education for girls, but providing school uniforms can be one of the most cost-effective ways to keep girls in school,” McGriff said Friday during a visit to the UI campus.

Inspired by an entrepreneurship class and Professor Romuald Afatchao, who is from Togo, McGriff decided to turn down a job in marketing analytics and pursue her nonprofit instead.

She entered into entrepreneurship competitions, which provided the seed money to start SHE.

SHE not only provides uniforms to 2,000 girls in Togo, but it also funds scholarships, teachers, menstrual supplies and jobs.

McGriff said SHE hires seamstresses from low-income backgrounds to sew the school uniforms. Those seamstresses also have access to an education provided by SHE.

SHE offers year-round tutors for the girls and provides its own curriculum that includes courses on critical thinking and entrepreneurship, McGriff said. The nonprofit employs 40 women in Togo where it has multiple offices. It serves 21 rural communities, McGriff said.

McGriff visited the UI campus this week to talk to business students about her work and to show support for her alma mater.

“Without this Vandal community, there’s no way we would have been able to build what we’ve built at SHE,” McGriff said.

She also campaigned for votes to help her win the CNN Hero of the Year award, which would help fund her growing nonprofit. She said online voting ends Dec. 3. A ceremony will be held Dec. 8 in New York to announce the winner.

People can vote for a candidate up to 10 times at cnn.com/world/heroes.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.