By SarahAnne Nigra, 21, She’s the First Youth Ambassador
You can try to take my freedom
My decisions
Strip me from my innocence
Destroy property that doesn’t belong to you
Wipe my dreams with your words
Remove my power
Leave me feeling helpless
Push the standards society has set for girls like me
Tie me down with restrictions
And critique my every move
But the most powerful thing I have is my voice and knowledge
It might get silenced from your ignorance
But you cannot take that
My mind and intelligence will never be yours to take
That will stay even when you try to put me in a box I will find my way out
Every obstacle I encounter I am freed from because I am in charge when it comes to
My education
My dreams
My goals
The knowledge I carry
I will be heard
You can try to take what’s not yours but my mind will always win.
This is a never ending battle
but the willpower I’ve gained from walking out of the impossible cannot ever be
broken
It will not be easy but it is my path
And my voice and decisions will not only be listened to but heard
An educated and respected woman I will always be even when the odds are not in my
favor.
A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation. Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for Poetry Month and the the Global Action Week for Education.
SarahAnne Nigra is a 21-year-old college student who is working toward becoming a psychologist. Outside of her schoolwork, she is a model who loves writing poetry, horseback riding, and volunteering at her local stable. She is also a Youth Ambasssador for She’s the First. “Girls’ rights to me means all girls should have a voice and it should be heard.”