In June of 2023 I flew home to Morocco to visit my family. Having been away for 6 years (I had come to the U.S. at the age of 13), the reunion filled my heart. My family is large and wonderful and it was joyous to be with them again. I also met with many young women to explore what their life interests and needs are. I came away realizing that the women need a means of support, so our foundation is in the process of creating The Women’s Cooperative, providing economic opportunities and entrepreneurship training. The concept is in the early stages of development, and our Board is exploring the potential for this project to take root.

 
 
 
 

A NEW HOME AND BOARDING SCHOOL

About my years going to school and growing roots in Great Barrington, MA, Troy, NY, and Amherst, MA.

 
 

ARRIVING IN THE U.S.

In 2017, my family would have to move to another town, so I could keep going to school. Few girls were allowed to go to school beyond 7th grade. That’s when Pier offered me to continue my education in the United States...
Read my story of the first year in the United States - An unedited essay I wrote when I was 13, after moving to the United States.

 
 
 
 
 

BETWEEN TWO CULTURES

 
 
 
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Who is Soumya?
Who is Soumya?

My mother, Pier, and my biological parents in Morocco taught me that education is one of the most important things in life, and the only way to change the world… A good day for me is when I learn something new. I adore learning and I want every girl to experience higher education, an opportunity that was not available for me until I moved to the United States.

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“yes, yes, you have to make enough money to buy chickens"
“yes, yes, you have to make enough money to buy chickens"

I visited the United States for the first time at the age of seven.

Even though I had heard stories about life in America, I was blown away.

I had grown up in a village in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco of no more than two thousand people. Most people could find some family relationship with each villager. Everyone was either my cousin, uncle, or aunt. We dressed in a similar fashion (hand me downs), ate the same food (often shared with several families), prayed to the same god and spoke one language, Amazigh (Berber).

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My 23andMe
My 23andMe

I grew up in Morocco and from a young age, identified as Arab. That is…. until I received my 23 andMe test results. My results showed that my bloodline is pure North African. It surprised me to learn that none of my ancestors had mixed with people of Arab descent as Arabs have lived in Northern Africa for so many centuries. The people of my culture even speak Arabic and use their alphabet, yet I am 100% North African.

This newfound knowledge peaked my curiosity, so I dug deeper into the history of North Africa and its original people. I want to share with you what I learned.

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