Salimah is a Campus Organizer.

I am Salimah, a twenty year old college student at Spelman College. At Spelman I am a proud member of Helping Our Teen Girls In Real Life Situations, Incorporated (H.O.T.G.I.R.L.S., Inc.). HOTGIRLS is a small, volunteer-led, grassroots 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to improve the health and lives of black young women and girls by providing culturally relevant and age appropriate, girl-centered information and programming, inspired by hip hop and youth culture. I was privileged to be apart of the founding Young Women’s Leadership Council in the Fall of 2006. We are given the opportunity to develop programs, workshops, forums for young woman in the Atlanta community. We were able to reach the Spelman community as well, educating people about safe sex and the risks that unprotected sex can have.

My enthusiasm for uplifting my community through young women and children and improving the quality of life for underrepresented minorities fuels my strong desire to become a doctor. There is a great need, both nationally and globally, for individuals who are committed and willing to help educate people about the importance of proper health care.  I am one of those individuals and I am grooming myself to leverage the interests that I have in the community into my career as a doctor.

Being involved in my community as a college student is extremely valuable in my opinion. It is something that I feel everyone should take part in no matter what age. Partnering with likeminded individuals who have also made the choice to change the world will make my societal contributions that much more powerful.

On a more personal level, I am currently at the point in my life I am focusing on developing myself to become as unique and refined as I possibly can. I am focused on developing my self spiritually, academically, mentally, and physically. It is important for me to be a well-rounded individual in order to properly help others. As I have just noted, I have also become more focused on my spirituality. For me personally I have to have a spiritual connection with my higher being in order to function. As a human I do get distracted and focused on the wrong things, but in order to stay on track and fulfill my purpose in life I have to continue to nurture my spirituality.

As a growing young woman, I have been fortunate enough to find my place in this world at a young age. I know I have a passion for reducing health risks and increasing survival in the African American community. I want to make a difference in this world and leave it better than I found it.