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

In 2012, Fatima Mboup was enlisted in the Air Force, but was not able to begin work due to some setbacks. However, she took it as a sign from God and ventured into a different profession. Today, she is a research associate for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and is pleased with the decision she made.

Born in Pakistan, and rooted in Senegal, Fatima moved to the United States at the age of six. During Junior year of high school, she obtained an ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps). She studied biology at Temple University for 4 years, and planned on going to medical school. Unfortunately, her grades did not meet the requirements.

Once she was enlisted in the Air Force for an intelligence job, where she underwent extensive background check, she stopped going to school but later returned, and changed her major. Fatima holds a bachelor's in Mathematical Economics and master's in Economics from Temple University.

In 2014, she received an internship opportunity in the research department at the Federal Reserve and obtained a full-time offer after one year.

“I think everyone should take an ECON course. This is how you realize how the money works in economies,” Fatima said. She advises those interested in going into her field to also build programming skills while in college. “Once you know one programming language, it’s easy to pick up another.”

Economists may produce well informed forecasts of what they think the interest rate (the cost of borrowing money) will be for the next 10 years, which can be used by policymakers, investment firms, and consultants. “In their analysis, [economists] may put an emphasis on consumer expectation. If people don’t think the economy is doing well, they want to know that,” Fatima explained.

Fatima’s tasks at work entails: researching, coding, organizing/gathering data, and processing surveys. Once a month, after gathering and analyzing data, she posts the information on their website. Though she spends a lot of time staring at numbers, it is a rewarding feeling to know that the work she produced will be of benefit to others.

Her role requires dealing with so many numbers that she needs to be “super detail oriented” to avoid making mistakes. She admits it can be embarrassing if a number is wrong. To some, she says, it may not be a big deal if there is a mistake, but to others it is a big deal because they may make critical investment decisions based on the data provided on the website.

One of the reasons why Fatima still works there is because she has a great manager who advocates for her. As the only Black, female research associate in her department she is often thankful for the opportunities and spaces she is privileged to be a part of.

Fatima says that working at the Fed has benefits, such as not having to worry about “crazy deadlines”, unlike other analysts in the private sector. During this pandemic, many businesses shut down and employees were furloughed, but Fatima is grateful to have maintained her job due to the stability it provides even in an unstable economy.

Fama Ndiaye and Fatima met at the Sadie Collective Conference in 2019 and have developed a friendship since. Here is her impression of Fatima: “I think Fatima is beautiful inside out. The first time I met her, our conversation was very brief because she was a recruiter at a conference and there were others waiting to speak with her. However, even then she was super kind and offered to stay in touch. The second time I saw her again, a year later, we had more time to actually chat. In just 3 days, I felt like I knew her forever. She was so kind, caring, and mature."

Fama went on to say: “I clicked with her so quickly and to this moment I still ponder over the fact that it's so rare and such a blessing to meet someone and just connect with them in such a short period of time. I find her wise for her age and think she has an old soul. From the very first time that I met her, I felt a good-hearted vibe from her and with time her actions confirmed my initial thoughts and feelings about her. I personally feel blessed to know her and cherish our friendship!”

For Fatima, money alone does not drive her. She could make more money working for private sector companies, but would rather continue working at the Federal Reserve because of the stability, benefits, atmosphere, and peace of mind it provides. A lover of numbers, her goal is to continue making a difference in the world of economics. Her success story reminds us to not only be swayed by money for no amount of money can pay for a peace of mind.