“The word I’m thinking of in Arabic is سامية or Sameyah which literally translates to ‘sublime’ but has a connotation of something that is of a high value,” says Rokaia Elhommosani, describing what WYA means to her as we reconnect over zoom.
I first met Rokaia ten years ago, when she was just sixteen years old. I remember her application to the International Summer Camp landing in my inbox and thinking, how did a kid from Cairo even find us? “I decided to spend a few days looking up different camps online and then came across WYA. I thought it was really profound. Even though it was in a different country, all of the things that WYA stood for were similar to my Egyptian culture, my Islamic background and my upbringing.”
It’s not exactly typical for a high school student to read through an entire website, containing White Papers on international advocacy issues, in order to decide whether to attend a summer camp-on the other side of the world. But Rokaia was noticeably different from the start: a notable leader, intellectually bright and articulate; she shone in the model UN debate and received the “most likely to be the future president of Egypt” award at the end of camp. “WYA gave me a redirection for my life. It made me focus on the question: what is the basis for what I’m doing?”
Returning home, she got involved by taking the Certified Training Program (CTP) and then became a Trainer for the CTP, in order to deliver workshops to other young people in Cairo. “I saw that the other members found the same sense of enlightenment or that light bulb moment that I had; the training made me realize what a wonderful thing it is to be with people who are willing to have a conversation with you and to understand your ideals.”
Recognizing the power of words to convince and sway, is an important and formative experience for any student. However, it can also be an uncomfortable one; “having to fight for something I knew was wrong made me realize I didn’t want to go into a field of work after graduation that would force me to say things or advocate for something I don’t believe in.”
Graduating with honors, she interned at a big law firm in Cairo and had a positive experience, but still thought, “maybe I’ll just take some time off to really just sit with my thoughts and figure out what I want to do.” She hadn’t spoken to anyone at WYA for years, but mentioned to her Mom that she wished she could do something like the work of WYA. “My Mom was like, why are you saying you wish, you wish…get back in touch and see if you can get more active again!”
Reaching out, she was encouraged to participate in the Advocacy Academy program and then invited to work as a WYA Advocacy Fellow for the year. “I instantly felt a lot of joy; I was so excited to be involved and in a way that I hadn’t even fathomed was possible. Deviating from a certain path can be scary. But being where you feel most comfortable and doing what excites you…that feeling is inside of you for a reason.”
As an Advocacy Fellow this year, Rokaia will be preparing written and oral statements and joining the WYA advocacy team at the UN Commissions in New York City. “With my legal background, it’s the best of both worlds. I love how what we talk about is really real… like, OK, we’re actually talking about abortion, the Maternal Health white paper and the Reproductive Health white paper. It’s so in-depth and brings so much clarity to the issues. I’m very fortunate and humbled that I can be a part of work that really helps people.”
Published September 22, 2023 by WYA Staff
