The Women Who Lit the Way for Me

Dear younger me,

You're sitting next to a kerosene lantern, your books open in front of you.

The electricity has gone again. It happens so often it almost feels normal. Outside, you can hear the low hum of generators and voices in the distance. And when the power finally comes back, the whole neighbourhood will shout, “Light don kam!”

In moments like that, the smallest things feel like miracles.

But tonight, the power is still out, and you are studying anyway.

The blue lantern throws off a stubborn heat, and the faint smell of kerosene smoke hangs in the air. Every so often, you pause from reading to share a story about the day — school, friends, something funny that happened — with your twin brother sitting beside you, studying under the same flickering light.

You cannot yet see where life will lead, but somewhere deep down you believe that education might open doors to a world bigger than the one you know.

Perhaps that belief started each morning before school, when dad would send you off with the same words: “Pay great attention to what you’re told.” And without missing a beat, you would reply: “For learning is better than silver and gold.” At the time, it felt like a routine — a little call and response before the school day began. Only later would you realize how deeply those words had taken root.

You never imagined that one day your world would stretch far beyond Sierra Leone — that the world you knew would expand in ways you couldn’t yet see. That you would study at some of the world’s leading universities, and stand at podiums and in operating theatres, sharing knowledge with some of the finest and most decorated colleagues in the field, from across the world.

You could not have imagined the life ahead of you.

As we come to the end of March, I’ve been reflecting on my journey — and how, in many ways, it reflects this year’s International Women’s Day theme: “Give to Gain.”

Because the truth is, none of this happened alone. It took a whole 'village' to get me to where I am today.

I have been so fortunate to encounter extraordinary women who have helped light that path for me...women who gave generously of themselves — their time, their love, their friendship, their mentorship, encouragement, and their belief. Women who demonstrated through their own lives that the path was possible.

When you grow up without seeing many women in certain rooms, it can be difficult to imagine yourself there. But representation quietly reshapes what feels possible. Each of these women, in their own way, helped make the road a little clearer and a little less lonely. They opened doors I did not even know to knock on. They helped me find my voice.

And for that, I carry deep gratitude.

I wish I could tag each of them in this blog post, but I know they know because I have never been one to shy away from showing gratitude... in both the little and the big things.

If there is one lesson that has become clear over the years, it is this — the greatest way to honour what we have received is to pay it forward. Mentorship multiplies when it is shared. Encouragement becomes powerful when it is passed along. Opportunities expand when we intentionally create space for others.

So in my own small way, I hope to continue that cycle — to mentor where I can, to encourage when the journey feels heavy, and to help pave the way for those coming behind.

To be a light for someone else.

Because somewhere, right now, a young girl may be sitting under lantern light during a blackout — just like I once did — wondering what her future might look like.

Or she may be in a place where girls are told that education is not meant for them.

Or in a community where conflict and instability make dreams feel so fragile and out of reach.

Or in a classroom where she is the only girl daring to imagine a future that looks different from what she has been told is possible.

If she can begin to believe that the world might be bigger than the darkness around her — that her dreams are valid, that her voice matters, and that her future is worth fighting for, then perhaps the light has already begun to spread.

Because in the end, learning has a way of turning the smallest light into a path forward.

With gratitude,

for the women who lit the way

🖤