When Hawa first walked through the doors of her Club at just eight years old, she wanted nothing to do with it.
“I hated coming at first,” she said with a laugh. “I was so shy, and being in an open space with so many kids from different schools felt overwhelming. But over time, it started to feel like home. I built friendships, got close to the staff, and the Club became a safe space for me.”
Her journey through the Club wasn’t always easy, but it was transformative. During high school, she joined the Young Leaders program, part of BGCB’s leadership pipeline that helps members develop professional skills and gain their first work experience. Through the Club’s Ready To Work Academy, she learned workplace fundamentals during the school year, then applied those skills as a Young Leader during the summer, where she gained more responsibility and continued her professional development. “It was my first job, and I was thrilled. I was learning while getting paid, and that was huge for me.”
The Power of Positive Influence
The Teen Center soon became her second home, thanks in large part to staff like Saraan Sillah, the Yawkey Club of Roxbury’s former College Pathways Manager and now BGCB’s Director of Academic Success, who Hawa credits with changing the course of her life.
“Saraan is probably the best person I’ve ever met in my life,” Hawa said. “She introduced me to programs like MGH Youth Scholars, Wealth Builders, and College Club. Every single scholarship I received came because of her. She reminded me of deadlines, helped me write my essays, and pushed me to go after opportunities I never thought I could get. She believed in me when I doubted myself.”
Among those scholarships was the prestigious Yawkey 1933 Scholars award, a four-year renewable scholarship recognizing outstanding academic and extracurricular achievement among Boston area graduates.
Hawa also found motivation and accountability through her peers in the Teen Center, but no relationship was more impactful than the one with her twin sister, Humu. While friends pushed her toward greatness, her sister Humu kept her grounded and recognized potential that Hawa couldn’t see in herself.
“Whenever I was in doubt, I could always rely on her to encourage me that I was truly able to accomplish anything,” Hawa said. “She was constantly cheering me on from the sidelines and made sure I never sold myself short or avoided challenging myself.”
That combination of staff support and sisterly encouragement became Hawa’s foundation for success.
Discovering Her Calling
Hawa’s hard work paid off when she was accepted to Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and to her own surprise, has just completed her first year as a nursing student with relative ease. “Nursing school is tough, and I wasn’t sure how I’d do. But I just finished my first year and did better than I expected. Looking back, I realize how much the Club and MGH Youth Scholars prepared me, not just academically, but mentally and emotionally too.”
For Hawa, nursing is more than a career. It is a calling. Her interests first centered on child psychiatry, driven by her belief in the importance of mental health care for young people. Over time, she also developed a strong interest in maternal and neonatal care, inspired by her research and writing on Black maternal health and her desire to support mothers during one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
Hawa credits the Club for helping her think about care in a community-focused way, where healing and advocacy go hand in hand. Through the opportunities and mentorship, she received, she was able to explore different healthcare careers, gain hands-on experience, and connect with role models who encouraged her to see herself in these roles long before she ever stepped onto a college campus.
Coming Full Circle
Now, she’s back where it all started, but in a new role. After her first year of college, Hawa reached out to the Yawkey Club asking if they could help her find summer opportunities related to nursing. The team didn’t just help her find something. They created a Nursing Assistant position specifically for her, giving her the chance to gain real-world healthcare experience while working alongside Vanessa Evariste-Benoit, the Club’s Summer Nurse.
“She’s amazing,” Vanessa said. “She asks the best questions, thoughtful, probing questions that show she’s really thinking like a nurse. You can see her curiosity and dedication in everything she does.”
For Hawa, it demonstrates everything she loves about the Club. “I put all my trust in the Club because I knew they would make something work,” she said. “I feel like I’m actually learning and doing meaningful work here.”
The experience has been formative in ways Hawa didn’t expect. Working with the Club’s young members has given her a preview of her future career goals. “I’m able to work with kids and figure out their symptoms, even when they all come in saying the same thing: ‘my stomach hurts, my head hurts,’” she said. “It’s like easing my way into nursing because next year I’ll be working in real hospitals for my clinicals.”
Hawa’s advice for younger members? Simple: stick with it . “I always tell my little sister to keep going to the Club, even when she doesn’t feel like it,” Hawa said. “It changed my life. You may not realize it now, but one day you’ll look back and see how much it gave you.”
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