I Am African & I Can” is a women’s empowerment blog highlighting stories of Black women’s struggles and successes.

Maimouna Ndiaye was born in Senegal and grew up in Harlem. In high school she was often suspended, but always upheld high grades. This misbehavior changed once she began college, as she understood that it was time to grow up.

At first, she aspired to become a Hematologist. She also studied Psychology as a freshman, but realized she wanted to work in a field where she could be more hands-on. During the second semester, she changed her major and in 2019 graduated with a dual degree in Chemistry and Health Sciences.

While pursuing undergraduate degrees, she did research on how childhood trauma impacts children when they become adults and felt a deep desire to make a difference in the world.

Growing up, she had the impression that the only way to help people was through being a doctor. But as she learned more about other fields, she realized that there were other professions that were just as important. “Being a doctor is a title. I don’t just want the title. I want to do what I want to do and help people,” she said.

Before graduating, Maimouna had plans of moving to Washington DC to pursue her career. Sadly, her father had a stroke and she decided to stay home to better care for him. Although it resulted in her plans being put on hold, this incident brought her even closer to her father and put many things into perspective for her.

After earning her Bachelor’s, she worked in the lab at Montefiore hospital, and briefly moved to Boston to work at New England Center for Children Austin Research (NECC)— a workplace that was extremely racist, Maimouna described.

No amount of money could lure her to stay in an environment that degraded her. Although she had bills/rent to pay, she quit the job having faith that everything would work out in her favor.

“I just let things be and let God take the wheel,” Maimouna expressed. Two days later, she received a call from another company. Initially, she was being interviewed for a part-time position. Because she left a great impression on the interviewer, she was immediately offered a full-time position as a Behavior Analyst.

Unlike her previous job, this job provides higher pay and more consideration for her. She works with babies and families that respect and appreciate her. Her job entails analyzing children with behavior abnormalities and helping parents understand that, for example, a speech impediment is not the end of their child’s life.

“My day starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. I have a set of 3 appointments every day. My day consists of running around from one place to another but is the most rewarding thing. I get to help people who can’t help themselves and be a part of a child’s story,” Maimouna shared about what it’s like being a Behavior Analyst.

Johari Reid, Maimouna’s best friend , expressed: “Maimouna is the most amazing person I know. She’s gorgeous, loving, intelligent, kind, giving, genuine, and so much more. We’ve been best friends for about 10 years and she’s been always by my side. She’s helped me become the person I am today. She’s the one person other than my mother that I can trust with my life, and i’m so blessed that God has put her in my life.“

Mamouna’s success story teaches us that we should never let others get comfortable demeaning us, even if they are putting money in our bank account. At only 24 years old, she is a Behavior Analyst, owner of a skincare company (Golden Roots Organics), is pursuing her Master’s in Public Health at SUNY Downstate, and aims to later work for the United Nations, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) as a Public Health Specialist in order to advocate for women and children in underdeveloped countries to have access to adequate health care.