In 2016, Fatoumata “Fatima” joined Girls Group as an 8th grader at Scarlett Middle School after hearing about Girls Group programs from her friends. From her first Girls Group program, Fatima realized that Girls Group was a welcoming environment that provided her with opportunities to learn life skills that weren’t really taught in the classroom.
When Fatima started her freshman year at Huron High School, she remained in touch with her Girls Group mentors. As an upperclassman in high school, Fatima enrolled in the Early College Alliance Program- where she was dual-enrolled at Eastern Michigan University for early college credits and at Huron High School.
When asked her favorite thing about Girls Group, Fatima said,
The mentors. They stay connected with all of their participants, even those who do not attend all of the programs every week. I like how Girls Group provides lifelong mentorship even after high school graduation and college graduation.
Girls’ Group has aided me in both my academic and personal growth as a person. I am very grateful to have had a mentor from Girls Group every year that I have been a participant.
Fatima shared that the Girls Group College and Career Prep Program was really helpful during her senior year of high school. Girls Group provided her with beneficial individual support as she was applying for colleges and seeking scholarships.
Fatima said that the college and career mentoring she received at Girls Group not only helped her improve her essay writing skills, but also provided her with community resources that she didn’t even know existed. Fatima describes Girls Group’s impact on her life as “giving [her] a sense of community that supports [her] and has helped [her] become much more self-aware of [herself] and [her] community.”
The key thing Fatima has learned from being at Girls Group is the importance of checking in with herself and listening to her body. Fatima also learned the true meaning of getting involved in your community by participating in community service learning projects with Girls Group.
Fatima is currently preparing to graduate from the University of Michigan in Flint this Spring with her degrees in Molecular Biology and Human Biology. Fatima is ready to take the MCAT and apply to medical schools this summer.
Currently working as a Pharmacy Technician at Michigan Medicine, Fatima wants to become an Anesthesiologist one day. Fatima shared that she is currently collaborating on a research project with her professor. Together, they are growing and evaluating cancer cells to see if different changes in environment make it more or less likely to invade other parts of the body. Fatima continues to do amazing things and has accomplished so much. She has truly embodied what it means to be a change maker and a go-getter.