​“Use your time at the National Museum of Women in the Arts to think about your capstone,” said Jaime Horn, Director of ALI. To be honest my capstone project was the last thing on my mind. We were in the midst of preparing for our group policy memo presentation to the Office of Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. Department of State. We had been working diligently on our proposal: how female empowerment can counter violent extremism in Libya, Tunisia, Kosovo, Bangladesh, and Somalia.

We each chose these countries for various reasons. Mergime, or Maggie as we called her endearingly, was passionate about advocating for women’s economic empowerment for her native Kosovo. She reminded us that, though Kosovo was no longer a war-torn country, the conflict had a lasting negative effect on gender equality in the country. Similarly, Farah A. (we had three Farahs in our group!), told us about how women in the Middle East faced gender disparities in various aspects of their life as well. As someone currently living through conflict in Libya, she would know. Kenzie spoke about the importance of including Africa after having studied abroad in Rwanda. Agreeing with Kenzie, Caroline explained the realities of preventing violent extremism in Africa, drawing on her academic background in security studies.

We were in a completely different mindset, but we all decided to take a break from the mentally draining memo-writing process and headed to the museum to find inspiration for our capstone.  As I walked around the museum, I came across an exhibit called ‘Rawiya,’ which is Arabic for ‘she who tells a story.’ The exhibition displayed various stories of women in the Middle East. Stories of bravery, frustration, anguish, love, and hope. It wasn’t until I came across Boushra Almutawakel’s “The Hijab” series that I felt a deep sense of connection and, in ways I hadn’t expected, affliction. One photograph in particular struck a chord of with me. But it also made me question my sense of self.

During earlier dialogue sessions, we were challenged to question our identities; how do I use my identity to make the world a better place through the work I do? For me, this question stems from a deeply personal place, one in which I feel guilty for all that I have been given in my life and conflicted by a society that has put limits on various aspects of my identity.

My parents immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. My mother was brought up in a single parent household, where she mostly worked and completed only some of her college education. My father came here with limited resources. At one point of his life, he was working three jobs, living in his car, and getting ready at McDonald’s. They have never framed their struggles as sacrifices, but through their stories I know just how much they had to give up to make sure that my younger sister and I lived a better life; a life in which we pursued our dreams and passions without restrictions. So yes, I feel guilty because I have always received the support of my loving parents in every way possible.

At the same time, I feel conflicted because of the negative political rhetoric being showcased in this election cycle. Why is my potential suddenly being determined by my identity? Suddenly, being female, Muslim, and the daughter of immigrant parents may matter more than what I can offer to society. My parents did not come to America so I could be limited; they came here so I could fly above every ceiling and realize dreams unavailable to them. 

So, here I was, staring at a photograph of an American-Muslim, like me, with the American flag as her hijab design; and the photograph was staring right back to me. I may be all of the things I described above, but most importantly and above all, I am an American. It shouldn’t be a challenge for me to imagine how I fit into society.

After staring at the photograph, Farah M., my dear friend who happens to be Lebanese-American, stood next to me staring at the powerful photograph too. Then, Maggie came. Then Kenzie. Then Farah A. Then Caroline. This photograph spoke volumes to all of us. In some way it spoke to the ways we all were conflicted, confined, or challenged by our societies because of our identities. Because of our gender.

Just look at the statistics. Only 57% of women in the U.S. participate in the labor force according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In 2014, the Center for American Progress reported that only 4.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs were women. Women of color in the U.S. occupy only 11.9% of managerial and professional positions. Of course this is not a challenge unique to American women. In South Asia, child marriage abounds. Young women lack access to education in many parts of the world. In Ethiopia, women are still struggling for reproductive health and rights. Gender-based violence continues to occur, especially in countries engaged in conflict.

I am tired of being a statistic. I refuse to be bound by gender roles defined by history. If we continue to follow statistical trends, progress will never occur. Not here in the U.S. Not anywhere.

The Andi Leadership Institute (ALI) fellowship program has not only allowed me to look critically at these questions regarding my identity or to seek answers to why women continue to face inequalities around the world. ALI has also afforded me the opportunity to discuss these issues openly with a community of strong young women and given me the tools to put my thoughts into concrete action. Whether that action manifests in the form of becoming a public servant for the rest of my life, carrying out the vision outlined in my capstone project, or encouraging or inspiring other young women to make a difference in their community, I know that I absolutely cannot be a bystander.

ALI has taught me that only through dialogue and discussion can ideas be exchanged and change achieved. When there is open and honest communication, words turn into action and inequities cease to exist.
Along with these lessons, I learned the importance of being relentlessly authentic. I learned to “never let them see you sweat,” a maxim from a 1980s Dove deodorant commercial that MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow shared as her greatest advice to us. I learned the greatest feats in life can only be overcome with the support of a community.

This supportive community of ALI fellows are my now dearest friends. I learned cultural empathy and understanding can be achieved by things as simple as searching for a place to eat in DuPont Square together to sweating in a cycling class together, or waiting in line for Baked and Wired cupcakes together. (And yes, we love food!)

During this fellowship, we saw ‘herstory’ made when Hillary Clinton became the first woman to receive the presidential nomination of a major party in the United States. As I look into a future which includes my country led by a woman, I think back to that photograph hanging in the Rawiya exhibit. That photograph makes a statement about the importance being confident in who you are as a person and about voicing what matters to you. Transformative female leadership, to me, comes at different levels and in various forms. It can come in the form of political leadership, or in the form of human rights activism. In the form of slam poetry, or in the form of a powerful photograph by a female photographer.

I’m struck by the realization that categories only diminish true potential. To me, Farah A., Caroline, Farah M., Kenzie, and Maggie are not just women from different walks of life, different cultures, or different backgrounds. They are my friends before anything society confines them to be. They are strong. They are independent. They are my community. Limiting the female voice will only lead to wondering what could’ve been, when there are better questions we should be asking… Why not us? Why not now? Why not together?

​Only time will determine how my story will unfold. I am grateful to ALI for bringing me one step closer to becoming rawiya through its values of community, cultural empathy and understanding, and global women’s leadership.

What I do know for sure is that I am irreversibly on the path of becoming rawiya; a woman who tells her story proudly and boldly. 

Hi, my name is Minahil and I’m from Pakistan. It’s almost been a month since I’ve returned to my home country after attending the Andi Leadership Institute Program and my time in Washington D.C. feels like a dream. When I look back at the three amazing weeks I spent, I think about the friends I’ve made, the organizations I’ve visited, the support I’ve gained and the training I’ve received. In short, my time in Washington D.C. proved to be a hands-on experience in conflict management (and way beyond) that will remain a source of guidance for me for the rest of my life!

In one of the first workshops of the seminar, I learned about the concept of ‘shared vulnerability’, a fear that every individual in a group has of saying something that others might not find to be truthful or valuable. By addressing these fears right at the start of the program, our facilitator, Noah Bopp, helped create a sense of togetherness and put us all on the same platform, a platform on which we learned to empathize with the person sitting next to us. We learned that we were all here to learn and that learning could only happen in an environment of trust and mutual respect.

We also had regular check-ins and check-outs through the program where we could describe to others how we were feeling. This activity helped each of us become more receptive to others and led to the building of a cogent group. Yes, we were indeed a very cogent group. It felt like I was part of a buzzing ball of energy, something so alive that it could take on anything in its path. It is the sense of ownership that we all had which made our group so special. Although we were from different cultures, the diversity added, rather than subtracted, from the power we felt as a team.

Some of my most memorable experiences from the program include giving a speech to Lissa Muscatine, Hillary Clinton’s former speechwriter, who not only appreciated, but also critiqued our speeches to show to us how speechwriting is a dedicated process that has its rights and wrongs. Meeting Rachel Maddow and watching her prepare for her show allowed me to witness an entire process of debating ideas, elucidating their relevance, making connections and presenting them as words of action. I also learned how work can demand one to be spontaneous and the ability to adapt and improvise can take one a long way. Maddow, who had prepared material on a set of issues for that night’s show, had to scratch out most of it and incorporate news on the sudden death of Robin Williams. Watching her be so open to making changes to the script and take charge of the situation was very inspirational.

Moreover, we also went to the U.S. State Department and presented a memo where we identified areas of conflict in our countries and recommended solutions. These solutions involved sharing knowledge about any initiatives, big and small, which we thought could be made more valuable through support. This was yet another challenging but exciting experience as it allowed us as young female leaders to give weight to our knowledge and actions.

At the final ceremony as we wrapped up our ALI journey, I realized that the biggest lesson I learned from this program is that my choices have consequences, sometimes even halfway across the world. Jaime and Kim’s initiative to start the Andi Leadership Institute Program is kind of like a bigger Capstone version of our eight mini-Capstones and if they have been able to make me realize how much potential I possess to bring effective, positive change, then I can also keep the cycle of empowerment going! This gets me so excited, as I know there are fifteen other young female peace builders alongside myself who are thinking in the same way and the prospect of being connected to them (and all those that follow us) will get me to witness all the amazing things they do in their lives. I can thus safely conclude my blog by saying that this is indeed not the end of ALI; it is only just the beginning! 

Hello, my name is Fjolla Bajraktari. I am 21 years old, born and raised in the Republic of Kosovo.

As an ALI fellow for two weeks now, I feel that the program so far has absolutely changed the way I perceive the issues around the world. I believe that as an activist of building peace, this journey is helping me and the 7 other fellows shape our thoughts and beliefs for the world as it is, and how we want it to be in the future.

So far, we have encountered different leadership trainings in which we learned about dealing with conflict, policy formulation, and about our value to life, our true purpose as human beings. Throughout this period, we have had the opportunity to share opinions and as I am witnessing this, I keep realizing that our differences and similarities are making the program even more meaningful. I realize that during these moments, we are connecting our thoughts and coming to conclusions that help us make better decisions for the future: as individuals, and as contributors to enhance our communities. Never in my life have I thought that the culture of Kosovo would so nicely affiliate with the cultures of Ethiopia, India, or Pakistan. At the same time, I see that the differences we have are teaching us various kinds of methodologies to put into action for solving the conflicts in our communities.

During the program, we are also engaging in different activities that are helping us develop our skills and spiritual being even more. I must mention our visit to the United Nations in New York. Ms. Margaret Peggy Kerry (NGO liaison at the US mission to the UN) provided the tour and insight. Having Ms. Kerry share her experience was an eye-opening and an exciting moment. Later on, we had the opportunity to be part of ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’. Not only did we have the opportunity to be present in the show, but we also had the honor to personally meet and converse with her.

Having been a part of the Rachel Maddow show was one of my favorite experiences so far in the program since during the time of the show, she demonstrated dedication, true passion, confidence and an admirable commitment. And by seeing her, I was truly motivated as a woman, as a peace-builder and as an individual with goals to make a change in the community.

Some of the takeaways from these experiences were: Always go for the job you truly, truly love and see yourself in; work hard; and give all your effort on being the best you can be, without forcing it. I believe that this experience and advice, has amazingly grown my dedication even more towards a brighter future for myself, and attaining my goals.

The optimism I have for the program is strengthening its state every day. The excitement, satisfaction and commitment that I have would never be as present as it is without my friends here from 7 different places of the world. Together, we are going to present a policy memo to the State Department in which we tackle important issues of our respective countries. Additionally, we will also be working on our individual capstone projects which we will implement when we go back to our home countries.

Consequently, by the end of this program, we are going to continue being the believers and the optimists for development, and together, we truly are the future change makers.  

Hi, my name is Jamie. I am 20 years old, and I am from Mississippi. Although I have been at the Andi Leadership Institute for less than a week, I can already say that it has changed my life. As I interact with women from around the world, I learn so much about their cultures, about the conflict that they witness everyday, and the role women play in their communities. However, when I contemplate what makes their cultures so unique, I also find myself evaluating and analyzing my own. I cannot help but ask about my country’s own conflicts, how we approach conflicts both at home and abroad, and how we incorporate women into the process. I find myself realizing that while the U.S. has made great strides in the past century, we still face a long journey on the road to equality and peace. When I think about how far both the U.S. and the world has to travel, I remember:

That’s why I am here—that’s why we are all here—to gain ethical leadership skills, to understand others, and to connect to women traveling a similar path of peace building. Together we can face the journey ahead.

 This idea of “together” is one of the key lessons I have learned this week. We are a team, a unit, and a world family. In just a few days, we have entered into a space of trust and support, where we can present our own thoughts and opinions and also know they will be heard with an open-mind. We are all here to understand, to learn, and to grow together.

I want to share with you a few lessons I learned this week from the other women. My roommate’s name is Minahil, and she is from Pakistan. In one of our first conversations, I was asking about her day-to-day life, and she was asking about mine. As the discussion about how women are viewed in society progressed, I realized that so often nations and people both subject others and are subjected to stereotypes. One of the world’s greatest flaws is that preconceived notions cloud how we listen to and understand others.  

 The next lesson I would like to share involves Heni, whom you have already met. She comes from a world where conflict strikes daily as Israel fights Hamas in the Gaza strip. Air strikes, bombs, and death—these are all realities that both sides face every day. When she asked about the conflicts in my own community in Mississippi (poverty, teen pregnancy, race and gender discrimination, the education system, and sexual health), I quickly brushed them off as trivial in comparison to facing a physical war everyday. Heni, whom I have learned over the past week is incredibly wise and insightful, explained that you cannot compare conflicts. No one conflict is “more worse” than the other. They are all different and by learning about their differences, we are better able to address our own.

These are just two of many eye-opening moments of the week. Everyone sees the world through different lenses, and I love listening to how they approach their own conflicts. In just six days, these women have already changed my life. They have become my teammates, my circle of trust, and most importantly, my friends. I’m ready to see what the next two weeks hold!

My name is Heni and I am 22 years old. I want to take you with me on a journey to Holon, Israel. It is a place far away in the Middle East. It is also my home. Israel is a small place but it is of great importance to many different communities, religions, and people; and it is home to cultural, religious, and historic sites. As different as they can be, most people simply wish to live quiet and peaceful lives. The intense emotions connected to religions and histories threaten that peacefulness here. The pitch too easily becomes too intense. People are too willing to die for this place. This is the place I call home.

I played basketball on a professional team during high school when my coach first introduced me to PeacePlayers International (PPI), an organization with the mission to solve conflicts through basketball. I volunteered with PPI in 2006 as an assistant coach and it changed my life and has had an incredible influence on who I am today. When I finished high school, I did what every Israeli has to do and joined the Israeli Army to serve my country. In that time, I served as a commander for the basic training of soldiers and other commanders. That period of my life was also very meaningful and also shaped who I’ve become, but after three years in the military service, I decided to return to PPI. This organization has taught me that things can be different, that the intense violence and heightened emotions are retractable, and that the two sides of the conflict can think and feel positively about each other. In spite of everything negative that has come before, those who believe themselves enemies can become friends.

Children on both sides of the conflict grow up in a sometimes confusing reality, subjected to a lot of opinions from adults, the people in their life that are supposed to know the most. The problem is that often times these adults only see their side of the conflict, just like a fight between two children. Only after rejoining PPI did I truly see both sides of the conflict.

Six months ago I discovered the Andi Leadership Institute for Young Women (ALI) and could not wait to apply. I’m now about to travel to the program and what most interests me is to meet girls from places I never imagined I would meet anyone from (Kosovo, Pakistan, Ethiopia, India, Mississippi, and Pensylvania), to learn about different cultures, and to acquire the skills to influence those I come into contact with. I’m excited for the program and looking forward to every moment, while at the same time nervous and sad as the situation here in Israel has become more complicated and violent. To leave now is so difficult as my family and friends live under threats from the sirens and missiles. On the other side, innocent civilians are dying every day and I am always concerned for my Palestinian friends. I wonder what the other girls will think of me. Will they see me as Heni or just think of me as the “Israeli girl?” It makes me feel stressed but I still cannot wait to meet them, to hear what they think and what they feel. I know this will be life changing.

This is why I joined the program and know that it will be a success. To share with others my perspective, to hear about theirs, to learn from each other.  To gain the tools that will help me make small changes that one day will become big changes. I hope that my home Holon, Israel, my home, that amazing small place will one day change and that people will not need to die for it, but only want to live for it.

Ms. Safa Jafar, age 22, is from Baghdad Iraq. She is a young Iraqi woman striving to change the status of women in her country. She recently graduated from university with a Business Administration degree, minoring in Political Science. She is currently working for a brokerage firm in Baghdad. Safa is passionate about ethics and human rights; her long-term goal is to be ambassador to the UN.

Well, it has been only four days since the Pilot Program started, yet I can say that this program wasn’t what I expected, it is even better. I have been in exchange programs, I took part in women conferences and I held leading positions on different occasion; yet I never had it all at once. The Andi Leadership institute for Young Women has it all together to nurture 21st century peace-builders.

The variety of the program participants is at the core of its effectiveness. The program is formed from 8 young women leaders from four different countries, we take classes together, we propose our disagreements loudly and we discuss them peacefully. My roommate is American and the young leader next room is Syrian. This is where real peace-building takes place, where you come back home and live with the person you disagreed with two hours ago. We try hardly to accept each other, learn about other cultures, and understand their way of thinking; it is hard, yet achievable.

Well, I guess the question of how it is achievable just crossed your mind. It is achievable because we are taking a series of workshops that enrich our understanding of the issues we are facing and open our minds to new ways of dealing with them. Two days ago we had a conflict resolution workshop and part of that was conflict transformation; this last concept changed the way I look at differences and problems. Basically, the goal of conflict transformation is to look at our problems as processes, not open-end questions; adding to that is trying to look at the problem from a different angle. This might seems obscure, but actually it is very helpful once you start embedding the idea and then apply it to the simple conflicts we face on daily bases. Conflict resolution workshop is not everything, we had other peace-building workshops and we have many scheduled for the next two weeks; so the process of learning is still on going. I certainly admit that this experience is going to be one of the most challenging experiences I will have in my life, yet one of the most enriching ones.

Ms. Laya Farooq is a current fellow of the 2013 ALI Pilot Program. She lives in Iraq where she is a sophomore at The American University Sulaymaniyah. She is working on a curriculum called Tiny Leaders, which will empower the girls of Kurdistan, open and change the minds of the Kurdish youth, and build a more equal society.   


8:15 AM sharp at the elevators; that’s how we started our day; trying to change the world step by step, trying to come up with ways to re-open the eyes that were closed long ago. Eight different young women from different nations got together under one roof to share their experiences, to help one another by dividing their strengths among one another to stand up and raise their voices. All with the help of two brilliant women who had a dream; a vision that can create positive change. Empowering women, that was our goal. We faced our fears. We cried. We laughed. We empowered each other. And most importantly, we listened to each other. Eight unique personalities, each presented an idea; a marvelous idea to help her nation rise up on its feet, an idea that can open up the eyes of the blind. Four speeches were written by us to Hillary Clinton, and I was fortunate enough to present one I wrote with the help of my friend and fellow, Afnan Bahloul, to Hillary Clinton’s speechwriter, Lissa Muscatine!

One day, we had a trip to New York; it was a day to remember. In 12 hours we did the impossible. We achieved what one cannot achieve in a lifetime. It was like a dream. We were on set “behind the scenes” with Rachel Maddow! Yes, THE Rachel Maddow. We got to talk to her, to ask her questions. And she gave us the most inspiring answers, “keep your eyes on the horizon” is exactly what she said.  We got to watch Pray the Devil Back to Hell with the one and only Gini Reticker. We asked her questions about the documentary over lunch. Girl Be Heard was one of my favorite moments during the program; a workshop where I got to express myself through writing. I got to be heard there. It was an absolutely wonderful opportunity to meet all those people.

On the third week we were invited to The State Department to present a policy memo that we had prepared in the first two weeks of the program; we recommended several options, and I am proud to say that we influenced The U.S. Department of State to look at how the US can better support women and girl’s education in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. On the last day of the program we presented our own projects; the projects that we worked on for two and a half weeks. They were inspired by our everyday lives, by the struggles that our countries are facing. My project is to create a new, creative curriculum for the children of Kurdistan. The Andi Leadership Institute for Young Women has helped me know that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.