Even as a young child, I was conscious of how societies shape norms and practices. Being Maasai, my culture provided an excellent case study into this curiosity. On the one hand, the Maasai are renowned worldwide for their distinctive traditions – their attire, practices, and customs. On the other hand, much of the community remains marginalized, and some continue to hold on to practices such as female genital cutting and child marriage. The first lesson my community taught me was that we can appreciate beautiful traditions without being afraid of calling out harmful ones. This was a lesson that I held close to heart throughout my childhood, often questioning parents and community leaders about the way women and girls were treated. It was also around this time that I became curious about what existed beyond my hometown, Nakuru, a medium-sized industrial town in Kenya.
A little after I turned 14, I joined Alliance Girls’ High School, which admits students from every region of Kenya. Living and studying with students from around the country allowed me to learn and appreciate how different communities perceived topics that I was particularly interested in, such as patriarchy, feminism, and human rights. Four years later, I was admitted to the African Leadership Academy (ALA), a pan-African institution in South Africa that brings together young people from around Africa to live, grow, and strengthen their passion for the continent together. At ALA, the lessons I had begun learning at Alliance were taken to a new level. I was deeply challenged and inspired by my peers and educators, and I emerged with renewed passion to not only question but also take action on the things that could be improved. My passion for action would take the form of health advocacy.
When I joined Duke University in 2012, I devoted my energy to learning everything I could about global health and how health systems function (and sometimes fail). Beyond the classroom, I spent my summers conducting field research in Togo, India, and Kenya. I wrote my honors thesis on alternative rites of passage as a means to end female genital cutting. Importantly, as part of the Baldwin community, I also got the unique opportunity to learn from brilliant, driven women and constantly engage in intellectual inquiry into the questions I had asked since I was a child: about power and who wields it, about women’s empowerment, and about human rights.
Since graduating from Duke, my global health career has taken me to various organizations, including NGOs, the private sector, the United Nations, and now health philanthropy. It has been one of the great honors of my life to work across sectors and issue areas in global health, collaborating closely with ministries of health, communities, and partners around the world. I continue to explore how countries can strengthen their primary healthcare systems and advance universal health coverage so that everyone, no matter where they are born, can live longer, healthier, happier lives.
Programs like Baldwin have been instrumental in shaping the woman and leader I am today. Being surrounded by bold, multifaceted women—fearless in their dreams yet grounded in humility—is both a gift and a call to action to change our world for the better and build bridges for the women who come after us. When I think of Baldwins, I am reminded of a phrase by Rupi Kaur: “Women like you drown oceans.” What a profound privilege it is to be part of such an extraordinary community.