Fatoumata's Story

My passion is becoming an environmental activist.

The first time that I wandered through the forest alone was in Guinea, Conakry, where I was born and raised till the age of nine. I remember walking down a path that led to the gloomy part of the forest with the shadows of trees creeping down on me and thinking to myself, how can people destruct such a beautiful and useful place. As I sat on rock I deeply thought about how can I prevent these issues from expanding over time and destroy my home.

Throughout my high school career, I’ve worked towards the goal of becoming a professional engineer who uses nature as a reference to build new technologies that do not harm the environment. I have spent my time researching the history of technology by visiting museums and reading books about environmental factors. During the years I lived in Africa, I mostly spent my free time roaming the forest and trying to understand the basics of nature and how it developed throughout history. With the low level of education that I was exposed to in Africa, opportunities to learn about environmental issues such as global warming, climate change, and deforestation was not given to students. However, I always took the time myself to search for articles or pictures that help expand my knowledge about nature, technology, politics, and the types of cultures that circle around the world. Through these self explorations, I also became fascinated of how technology is produced, however, I despised the fact that it’s one of the factors that are causing climate changes and deforestation.

Attending The Brown Environmental Leadership Lab Summer Program will help me progress towards my goal of becoming an ambitious leader who has the skills and motivation to execute an idea in different scenarios. I am very aware of what I bring to the table, especially when it involves passionate leaders that I look up to. The program will help expand my creativity, knowledge of nature, and leadership skills that will guide me down the path of becoming an environmental activist.