Zawadi was born in Nairobi, Kenya and spent much of his childhood between Kenya and Malawi. His mother’s job for an international nonprofit meant lots of travel and an eventual move to Falls Church, Virginia where Z finished High School. He went on to study at San Francisco Art Institute, earning his BFA in Photography and a minor in Art History. After nearly seven years in San Francisco, he moved to Denver to work at Topo Designs. Eager to move, as Denver didn’t quite feel like home, he stuck it out and it was worth it as it gave him the chance to meet his future wife.