William Kamkwambe

If you haven't yet heard of William Kamkwamba, you should. At the age of 15, William built a homemade windmill in his small Malawian village out of bicycle parts and scraps from a local junkyard. He taught himself the basics of windmills via an old British science textbook, despite not being able to read english. From this initial project, William, now 22, has been able to provide electricity and running water to his village.

I had the pleasure of meeting and hearing William speak here at Dartmouth just a few weeks ago while he was on a tour of the US to both promote his book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, and visit colleges he may be interested in attending. He, through the simple act of telling his story, was able to inspire all of us in the audience. I happened to also get the chance to give William a tour of the College, and he is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing people I have ever met.

Definitely check out his book and blog!