A 26 year old Texas scholar from Sierra Leone , West Africa , Aisha Koroma migrated to the United States at age 14 at a time of civil war in her native land . After witnessing the war , Aisha vowed to always remember where she came from by going back to help in any way possible . She recalls the hardships of Sierra
Leone -- one of the poorest countries in the world , not to mention being the country with the highest child mortality rate . “ The country has definitely come a long way with the war ending but for many citizens the scars remain . The literacy rate is below the international mean , employment is still a dream for many hopeless students and the chances of earning a higher education are minimal ”.
Once a pre-medical school student majoring in biology , Aisha decided to change her major in her third year of college . She searched deep within herself to find a career path to merge her drive for success and her passion to help the human race . Aisha soon learned that psychology was her calling . In May 2011 , Aisha graduated with a bachelor ’ s degree in psychology from the University of Houston-Downtown in Houston , Texas . She plans to further her education by obtaining a master ’ s degree in psychotherapy / counseling and pursue her ultimate dream of being an ambassador to the United Nations .
“ One of the best gifts you can give to others can be as simple as your sense of understanding .”
While in search of a graduate school to further her education , Aisha decided to dedicate her time solely to doing charity work . As the founder of LIFT a Village ( Lead , Ignite , Feed , Teach ), a non-profit organization whose essential focus is to empower , motivate and educate youth , she plans to continue her service to humanity by being a voice for women , children and the next generation leaders in Africa .
LIFT a Village was founded in October 2012 and campaigns to raise funds and awareness to educate and create better living conditions for individuals in Sierra Leone villages . Aisha believes that leading the way to a brighter future is what we stand for . Informing village residents about the importance of healthy living such as safe sex practices and proper sanitation minimizes their risks to both STDs and other viral infections . Aisha extended her charity work to form the We Are Women ( WAW ) program . WAW focuses on empowering , uplifting and encouraging young women around the globe to acknowledge their true potential . The program encourages women to use their voices to impact their lives and that of others .
From a very young age , Aisha learned that society stamps labels on women that can lead to a phenomenon called self-helplessness . Through mentoring , Aisha observed that many young women with great potential allow the ' labels ' of society to negatively impact their lives . During one of her visits to Sierra Leone in 2009 , she shared her “ disappointment to see beautiful and intelligent young women waste away without an education thus limiting their access to a wide range of possibilities .” Many of these women were young teen mothers without
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