Project: Young Women’s Stories—Fostering Leadership
Leadership belongs to everyone and is a self-motivated process to bring forth our full human potential. We have brought together a collection of stories of leadership by young women from around the world. Please continue to check back as we add new stories. We thank the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders and the World YWCA for their contribution of stories.
Hanae Chiba
Japan
Surviving Disaster with Empathy
On March 11, 2011...the Great East Japan Earthquake hit my town in the region of Tohoku. It was the largest earthquake ever recorded in the country. ... All of these experiences, good and bad, prepared me for my current career caring for people with physical, intellectual, and mental disabilities.
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Naomi Woyengu
Papua New Guinea
From There to Here
As the eldest in my family, I was always reminded to lead by example for the sake of my four younger sisters.
My current work mentoring other young women has come naturally to me, but my journey to this point has not been smooth sailing.
Emilie Katondolo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Finding Empowerment in Entrepreneurship
For women and girls living in the North Kivu province, life is far from easy…. My work…has helped me empower hundreds of girls by teaching them the advantages of entrepreneurship.
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Trinna Leong
Malaysia
Paving My Own Way
My childhood had shaped me to become determined to forge my own path rather than succumb to stereotypes. I wasn’t content with just getting a degree, followed by a job and then getting married by age 30-a life path that everyone else I knew was adopting.
Nyuon Susan Sebit William
South Sudan
My Journey in the Fight for Women’s Justice & Equality
I don’t know why, but I never doubted myself growing up...However, like so many others in South Sudan, I still experienced hardship during my childhood — experiences that shaped who I am today.
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Minglee Hoe
United Kingdom
Confidence, not Limelight, is the Source of True Leadership
I was lost about what I wanted for my career. … I know now that as long as I am doing my best in my current role, it will lead to the next step, but that is a lesson I had to learn through experience.
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Corina Ajder
Republic of Moldova
Making the Impossible Possible
A mentor once encouraged me to have big dreams, ones so big that I’d be afraid to say them out loud for fear of other people laughing at them. For a long time, I believed that I wasn’t a person who could afford to have those dreams.
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Bobbie-Jane Gardner
United Kingdom
Finding my Purpose through Music
I was born and raised in Birmingham, to an Afro-Caribbean, modest, working-class family. My parents worked exceptionally hard to support me and my four sisters…. My dream was to become a pianist and composer.
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Jovana Mijatović
Serbia
I Finally Learned to Listen to Myself
In a world full of material things, it’s not always easy to have faith in dreams which may not guarantee financial security….I used to be a person who was always waiting for something, doing jobs like a robot and without initiative.
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Hsih-Yin Tan
Singapore
Becoming a Humanistic Researcher
Leaders are like researchers or scientists; they try different techniques to learn what will work and what will fail.…In my own experience, I have seen the connection between being a leader and being an excellent researcher firsthand.
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Sanghamitra Dubey
India
How Experiencing Poverty Led to Compassion and Activism
My family and I have always struggled. Whether it was attaining an education, finding a good job, or establishing a career, nothing has been easy for us.… Though financial poverty was our struggle, spiritually, we were rich.
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Eyrún Osk Jonsdottir
Iceland
“When you are afraid to follow your dreams, help others.”
The best advice I ever received was from my mother... I’ve tried to make this a motto in my life, and it’s been a constant reminder to never give up on my life-long dream of becoming a writer.
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Jiye Choi
Republic of Korea
Building a Better Society through Media
After earning a degree in multimedia studies,
I started my career in broadcasting where I realized my life’s mission: to help build a better society through media.
Rachel Mundus
United States
Uprooting my Tree of Doubt
I was in first grade when I started to doubt my academic abilities, a seed that began to grow ... I remember often coming home from school in tears, thinking I wasn’t good enough to pursue my goal of working in dental healthcare.
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