We brought together an audience of young people to listen to Monica Nyiraguhabwa and Mannat Malhi, who shared their thoughts and experiences on what it takes to reach your goals, the importance of aligning you passion with your work, and having strong role models. Thank you for all the fantastic questions! 

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“The highlight from the talk was the inspiring stories of two amazing individuals who only prove that anything is possible as long as one pursues one's goals and desires with perseverance. Also,the talk gave me a clearer picture of the world and the challenges one has to face and possible solutions. I found the breakout room part of it intellectually stimulating and I really enjoyed interacting with like minded peers. This engrossing and riveting experience really appealed to me and I'm eager to learn more and be a part of such a terrific organization. Hats off to Team EH*V!!!” - Anonymous 

Monica Nyiraguhabwa is an innovative social entrepreneur. In 2012, she founded Girl Up Initiative Uganda (GUIU) to respond to the limited life choices and opportunities among adolescent girls and young women living in the urban slum areas of Uganda. Monica is a highly respected advocate for girls’ Education in Uganda who has been selected as an Obama Africa leader, Perennial Fellow, Cordes Fellow, Skoll Fellow and African Visionary Fellow. Monica has guided GUIU to achieving global status as a well-known locally-rooted organization working to secure long-term change for women and girls. GUIU has been internationally recognized as part of Michelle Obama’s Girls Opportunity Alliance and through their feature on NBC’s The Today Show with Jenna Bush Hager. Monica is a tireless advocate for girls who sees Girl Up Initiative Uganda growing so that she can reach all girls in Uganda and beyond. Beyond scaling up current programs, her big dream is to build a one-stop Girls Center of Excellence that will serve as a safe space for all girls to access quality life-long education and skills development. It would also be a global center to attract researchers and other partners to learn best practices in addressing barriers to girls quality education. Monica is a Commonwealth Scholar with an MA in Education, Gender and International Development from the University College of London and a BA in Adult and Community Education from Makerere University.

Mannat Malhi has a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Oxford, where she received the Peter Carter Prize as the highest ranked undergraduate law student at Wadham College. She also has a graduate Law degree from Harvard University. She has previously given a Ted Talk in Oxford entitled ‘How has long hair changed my life’. She is currently a trainee solicitor at Sidley Austin firm. She is passionate about access to justice, countering domestic violence and anti-discrimination law.Mannat is a second year Law student at Wadham College. She is a passionate advocate for women's rights and the rights of people of colour. She has held the role of Wadham's women's officer and the people of colour representative. She also writes for the Oxymoron, Oxford's satire magazine and the London-based zine, Skin Deep.As a Sikh woman with long hair, this talk addresses how I came to accept my own identity and my pursuit for others to embrace me too. Ultimately, equality is about perceiving all humans as individuals whose goals, ambitions and personalities are intricate and irreducible.