The main experience that made a significant contribution to my personal development and further shaped my career goals was my trip to Africa in 2005. As a volunteer with the Kenya Voluntary Development Association (KVDA), I assisted in a program of Peace Building and Conflict Transformation with the Maasai and Kuria tribes. I then traveled to various villages in Kenya & Tanzania interacting with the locals, and engaging with the people. Other than severe poverty, I realized the lack of education among children and adults dealing with sanitation and prevention of disease by maintenance of sanitary conditions.
Also the vast amount of young girls having to undergo female genital mutation (FGM), not by choice. This led me to fulfill my dream by dedicating myself in starting a foundation that would educate communities on health and hygiene. I also engaged in rescuing runaway girls who wanted to continue their education, and not undergo FGM. In 2006 I committed and completed a Phd program in the field of Depth Clinical Psychology, while working as a mental health specialist, at Cedars Sinai’s Thalians Mental Health Center.
