“Small girl, you’re smart.”
Those words have stayed with me for years.
I was nine years old, standing at the entrance of the Dry Rice Market in Bushrod Island, Liberia, trying to pronounce the name “Barack Obama” from a poster hanging nearby. After a few attempts, I finally got it right. The rice seller looked at me, smiled, and said, “Small girl, you’re smart.”
He probably never imagined that years later, that same little girl would become an Obama Africa Leader.
On July 12, 2026, I stood at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, not as a tourist, but as someone whose life has been shaped by the belief that ordinary people can create extraordinary change.
Walking through the campus, I wasn’t simply admiring the architecture. I was reflecting on what the Center represents: hope, service, leadership, and the power of investing in people.
The Obama Foundation often reminds us that change doesn’t come from one person, it comes from people choosing to make a difference where they are. As an Obama Africa Leader, I’ve seen this truth come alive through leaders across our continent who are transforming their communities with courage, compassion, and persistence.
For me, this visit was a reminder that hope is not passive. Hope is something we build.
We build it every time we choose service over self-interest.
We build it every time a young girl is reminded that her voice matters.
We build it every time we create opportunities where none seemed to exist.
And we build it when we believe that where we come from does not determine where we can go.
As I looked around the Center, I couldn’t help but think about the next generation of African girls and young people. I hope they, too, will one day stand in spaces they once only dreamed about, not because someone handed them a seat, but because they prepared themselves to lead.
I left Chicago carrying more than photographs.
I left carrying a renewed commitment to keep raising girls who know they belong in the room, to keep investing in young leaders, and to keep believing that the most powerful way to bring change is to bring hope.
Because hope, when paired with action, has the power to change lives.
And perhaps, somewhere today, another little girl is learning to pronounce a name that will one day remind her that she belongs in the story of Africa’s future.
