Taking on the Big City: Gaby Zunde '06

New York City feels pretty far from Atlanta, but for alumna Gaby Zunde ’06, home suddenly felt much closer this year when she received an application for a Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School partnership with UNICEF. The Water Walk-a-Thon organized by the HIES Middle School cross country team raised money to purchase water pumps in underprivileged nations. 

In her role as associate of community fundraising in UNICEF’s New York office, one of Ms. Zunde’s primary duties is managing UNICEF’s involvement and programming with the annual New York City Marathon. She also oversees community activities all over the U.S., working with both donors and event organizers. Her office receives about 1,000 applications each year, many of which come from youth organizations or schools. Some of the most successful projects include a relatability factor, such as the HIES Middle School program.

“Water is something we can all identify with,” Ms. Zunde said. “We love to see communities come together to spread awareness and support UNICEF. HIES is a really wonderful community—it is so nurturing and the teachers are so special.” 

After graduating from HIES in 2006, Ms. Zunde received a B.A. in communications from University of Colorado at Boulder in 2010 and moved to New York, where she has worked for UNICEF since 2013.