Oumou Diallo is a Junior Finance and economic studies major at Towson University. She is a part of Hope Of Guinea and I attended one of their galas a few weeks ago to interview her. Here is what she had to say:
What do you want to do with your major?:
“My dream job would be to work for an international organization that gives back, such as the United Nations.”
That is a really good goal to have. Your brother is the president of Hope of Guinea, correct?
“He is the executive director but a group of people actually started it.”
Wow. And how did you decide to be a part of that for Towson?
“I was a Volunteer for them in High School and when I moved to Towson as a Freshman I still volunteered for them. I attended a Leadershape conference in the Spring Semester you were challenged to create visions and think about what makes you happy and what we want to do with our lives-like what our purpose is. That was when I realized that I want to give kids in Guinea the opportunity to get an education. That is my micro vision though. My macro vision is to make education a right instead of a privilege for children everywhere. So that is how that started. I came back to Towson Fall 2014 and I talked to my mentors and said that I really wanted to get involved with Hope of Guinea and I really want to make this vision a lifetime goal. I wanted to start it now so I could further my goal even after attending Towson. So I started Hope of Guinea at Towson with a lot of people. Since then we have been very successful in HOG Towson. We have three pillars which are education, scholarship and community service. The community service part of it is just giving back to the Towson community and tell them thank you for having us, thank you for supporting us through everything. We are very thankful.”
What are some of the ways that you’ve given back to Towson?
“We volunteer each month-once or twice a month within the Towson or Baltimore area. We do walks, for example we did the Breast Cancer Awareness walk. It was making Strides for Breast Cancer. Last semester we worked with ADC and BSU with community service within the Towson area and Retirement communities and spend the day with them and talk about our mission as well as help them.
Those are really good ways of giving back. So since the theme of tonight is inspiration, what inspires you?
“Humanity inspires me. Since I was a child every single person has contributed to my success. I was this little fire and everyone kept adding fuel to it and it just isn’t one person. My parents inspire me however humanity inspires me as a whole because I think everyone is connected somehow and everyone has conspired to get me to where I am today.”
That’s beautiful. Do you see yourself having those same inspirations and goals in ten years?
“I feel like this is a life goal. It’s a long term goal for me even if I can pause this anytime to focus on myself and better myself-because we all need that time to ourselves. However, I’ve made a commitment to make education a right and not a privilege everywhere. So if I were to pause I can still in four years add my input in other organizations because I am a big believer in the value of one and the power of all, so I can just bring my two cents into everything.
Since this is a life goal, do you think you are going to do this full time or are there other plans you have for yourself?
“I plan on working and getting a job working for myself but I do plan on doing this on the side. I am a big education activist so I enjoy doing this in my free time. This past summer I interned for United Nations in Guinea and I got to see our scholarship recipients talk to them. I also got to visit the first public library that we just built in Guinea. I feel even when I graduate I can still get involved in many ways.”
That’s very inspiring. Do you have any advice for people who are trying to get involved in humanitarian work or starting your own club?
“It is very hard but just know that you have people to help you. Like I said I am a big believer in the value of one and the power of all and I think everyone can have a ripple effect and you need to realize that but you don’t have to realize it now. One of the best things that I’ve learned since I have been in college just because someone is on Chapter Two in their lives doesn’t mean that my Chapter Two is invalid. So just because someone’s vision is to feed the poor and I have a vision to make music, that doesn’t mean my dream is invalid. That should just help motivate you to keep trying harder and seek help. Make connections because connections are important. Towson has great resources so seek advice. You’re going to fail but that doesn’t matter the only thing that matters is how you get up from the failure.
Oumou definitely an inspiration to all of us. Thank you to Hope of Guinea Towson for inviting us to the gala and thank you Oumou for the inspirational interview!
Until next time,
HCXO