Marian Lupapula Mwanza grew up in the capital city of Lusaka in a family of four. Her mother, a teacher, encouraged her children to get an education. Mwanza enjoyed her classes, and went to the best schools on merit. “I love science so I decided to pursue a career in agriculture because you work directly with communities to alleviate poverty and food insecurity.” She eventually won a bursary to go to university, where she studied for a BSc in Ecology.