I am only seventeen years old and while I have been constrained by gender roles, I have not been as exposed to gender limitations.

Barely any decision I have made has been due to my being a woman.

I lead some of my high school’s clubs, I can code, I am very active in Lagos and in my school’s community and I aspire to be a biomedical engineer that could help African development in the medical field.

I don’t do or say things to be likeable, I try to be comfortable with who I am and I do not heed to the demands of what a woman should be all while embracing my femininity.

I see this as quite ordinary.

I am inspired by women like Wangari Maathai and Saran Kaba Jones that have crossed the hurdles of being deemed as inferior and have shone their light bright by changing the world for the better.

I know that these hurdles will come probably early in my lifetime but I am not afraid of them.

I plan to do my part in making our community a better place to live in and this will hopefully be done while living in a world in which men and women are equal and are given the same opportunities as men worldwide

Kansi Udochukwu