Burkina Faso meets Bellin College
Daouda Zoure
Daouda Zoure isn’t your average Wisconsinite. He came to Wisconsin by way of Burkina Faso, a country just southeast to Ivory Coast. He and his two brothers moved to the U.S. to live with their father in 2012, following the death of their mother. Zoure’s father lived in the U.S. for many years, and welcomed Zoure and his two brothers to Madison.
“My mom passed away during childbirth,” Zoure said. “My mother meant the world to me and, when I lost her, it was devastating. I miss her every day.”
In Burkina Faso, Zoure’s mother owned a restaurant called Maman, which means mom in French. He learned to cook from his mother and attributes his love of cooking to all of the special times they spent cooking together. At least once per year, Zoure and his brothers cook food and distribute it to the homeless living near Capitol square in Madison.
“My mother always thought I was too nice and she wanted me to be a doctor or work in another healthcare role,” said Zoure. “She thought a lot of people could benefit from my kindness, which is partly why I chose to go into nursing.”
Zoure attended Madison Area Technical College for two years and then transferred to UW-Eau Claire to complete his Bachelor of Science in human biology with honors. With his move came an adjustment to the cold weather and a few language challenges.
Daouda Zoure will run his first marathon in October 2018 in Niagara Falls.
“When I started school at MATC, I wrote all of my papers in French, and then translated them to English with a dictionary,” said Zoure. “I learned some English by watching my favorite TV show, ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ I still enjoy it to this day, but I don’t need the subtitles.”
Following his graduation from UW-Eau Claire in 2016, he applied to the 15-month program at Bellin College and was accepted. He will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in nursing in October, and has made the Dean’s List again this past summer. After graduation, Zoure will start his job as a nurse extern in orthopedics and neurology at Bellin Hospital in Green Bay.
He is very close to his two brothers who are also attending college in Wisconsin. One brother is attending UW-Milwaukee to study computer science and business, and the other attends UW-Whitewater to study political science/diplomacy and international business. Zoure’s father owns a small delivery business called Burkina Express, which delivers loads across the U.S.
Daouda Zoure enjoys to cook.
In his free time, he enjoys cooking traditional dishes from Burkina Faso and running. His favorite meals are fried plantain and babenda, which is a mix of spinach, kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, peanut and dried fish. He is also training for his first full marathon, which is Oct. 14 in Niagara Falls.
“After working for a few years, I plan to continue my education at Bellin College as a student in the family nurse practitioner program,” said Zoure. “I’d like to someday join Doctors Without Borders and work for an organization like the Peace Corps, in which I can provide care to all who need it…where they need it.”
Zoure has plans for one other healthcare endeavor. He plans to build a clinic in Burkina Faso called Maman, in memory of his mother, to serve all women who face a high-risk pregnancy.
