Esther Onyinyechi Mark

Esther Onyinyechi Mark is a multiple award-winning Development Journalist and content writer with over six years' experience in journalism and volunteering, specifically focusing on development journalism in areas of health, education, entrepreneurship, and women and children.

Currently, she is the Editor at Scholars Hub Africa, an online opportunities portal for African students where she has helped connect thousands of African students and entrepreneurs to a plethora of opportunities online to further their personal development cause.

Esther is the founder of Star Initiative, an after-school Social Entrepreneurship venture which provides personal development service for students through education consulting and mentoring where she focuses on initiating, designing, and implementing free education outreach and personal development programs for children and teenagers and secondary schools in the northern Nigeria. She has reached out to about 3000 children and teenagers and recently started a mentoring service for Nigerian undergraduate students.

Esther holds a BA (Hons) in Mass Communication from the University of Jos, Nigeria and is committed to contributing to Africa's development by using the media for development and social change and mentoring of young hearts.

Esther upholds the vision to help young people gain access to quality education and opportunities. She volunteers her time to mentor young people through Sunday School programmes in churches and schools and also runs a number of Bookclubs for children and teenagers in Jos, Plateau State and serves on the board of several youth religious fellowships.

She has won a number of leadership and journalism awards. In 2017, she was awarded the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders via Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), a flagship programme of President Barack Obama through the U. S Department of State for outstanding leadership works.

Also is winner: 2017 PACFaH Health Budget Media Challenge Award for Outstanding Performance of reports on the Primary Healthcare of northern states andthe 2016 Journalists for Christ Innovative Young Journalist Award and Runner Up; 2016 Promasidor Quill Award for Best Online Reporter. Also 2016 Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Awards Report of the Year, nominee; 2015 European Union Lorenzo Natali Media Prize (Africa Category) and winner, 2012 Coca Cola/ NBC Entertainment Reporter of the Year (The Nation Newspaper).