My name is Maryam Bello, and my journey toward empowerment did not begin on a big stage.

It did not start with a microphone in my hand, a title beside my name, or a crowd waiting to hear what I had to say.

It started in a hall at Action Health Incorporated (AHI) during my senior secondary school years.

Back then, I was just a student. I was young, still discovering myself, still learning what it meant to have a voice, and still understanding the kind of power that comes from being seen, heard, and equipped.

But something shifted when I walked into AHI.

The capacity-building training I received there changed everything.

It did not just teach us self-defense techniques to protect our bodies. It taught us something deeper. It gave us the tools to protect our dreams, our confidence, our choices, and our future.

We were not only trained to stand up for ourselves physically. We were empowered to become voices of change for girls who felt oppressed, ignored, and silenced.

And for me, that was where the journey truly began.

Learning That My Voice Mattered

As a young girl, one of the most powerful things you can be given is not just advice.

It is confidence.

The kind of confidence that makes you sit taller. The kind that makes you speak even when your voice shakes. The kind that tells you that your story, your thoughts, your ideas, and your presence matter.

That was what AHI gave me.

Through the training, I began to understand that empowerment was not just a word people used in programs and speeches. It was something you could feel. It was something that could enter your life quietly and begin to change how you saw yourself.

I learned that girls deserve to be safe.

I learned that girls deserve to be heard.

I learned that girls deserve to dream without fear.

And most importantly, I learned that I could be part of the change I wanted other girls to experience.

Returning to Give Back

After graduating from secondary school, I made a decision that felt natural to me.

I wanted to give back to the community that had poured so much into me.

So I joined Action Health Incorporated as a Paid Youth Assistant for one year.

That year became one of the most defining chapters of my life.

I did not return as the same girl who had once sat in the hall receiving training. I returned with a sense of responsibility. I returned knowing that the same way AHI had opened my eyes, I could now be part of opening the eyes of others.

During that year, I was not just an assistant.

I was on the front lines.

I met with students and young people. I participated in school assembly outreaches. I engaged with major stakeholders. I found myself in rooms, conversations, and public spaces that stretched me in ways I did not expect.

And with every outreach, every meeting, and every moment I had to speak, something in me grew stronger.

The Confidence to Stand Before Any Audience

There is a kind of growth that only happens when you are pushed beyond your comfort zone.

For me, AHI gave me that push.

Standing before students during assembly outreaches helped me sharpen my public speaking skills. At first, it could feel intimidating. The crowd, the attention, the responsibility of saying something meaningful. But the more I showed up, the more confident I became.

I learned how to speak with clarity.

I learned how to hold people’s attention.

I learned how to communicate with purpose.

Those moments in the spotlight shaped me deeply. They gave me the confidence to stand before any audience today, not because fear disappeared completely, but because I learned that my voice was strong enough to carry the message.

And that confidence did not stay at AHI.

It followed me into every other part of my life.

Where My Design Journey Began

Interestingly, my journey into design also started at AHI.

Sometimes, we would design “Monday Motivation” posts for the AHI social media page. It may have seemed like a simple task at the time, but for me, it opened a door.

I found myself drawn to the way a simple visual could carry so much meaning.

A color, a layout, a font, an image, a few carefully chosen words, all of it could come together to encourage someone, inspire someone, or make someone pause and think.

That fascinated me.

I took a deep interest in design, and looking back at the career I have built since then, I am so proud of that decision.

What started as a small opportunity became the beginning of something much bigger.

AHI did not just help me find my voice.

It helped me discover one of the ways I would use that voice.

Balancing the Lab, the Canvas, and the Pen

Today, I balance multiple worlds.

I am currently a 300-level Microbiology student at the University of Lagos, a full-time Graphic Designer, and a Writer.

People often ask me how I manage to juggle all of it.

The lab. The plain canvas. The pen.

And honestly, the answer goes back to the early lessons I learned through AHI.

Resilience. Confidence. The belief that my voice matters.

Microbiology teaches me to study life in its smallest forms. Design gives me the power to turn blank spaces into meaning. Writing allows me to express thoughts, stories, and emotions in a way that connects with people.

They may look like different worlds, but to me, they are connected by one thing: impact.

Whether I am in the lab, designing on a screen, or writing from my heart, I am still using what I have to create, communicate, and contribute.

A Message to Every Young Adolescent

I am sharing my story not only to celebrate how far I have come.

I am sharing it to remind every young adolescent reading this that you are not too young to lead.

You are not too small to make an impact.

You are not too inexperienced to start.

You do not have to wait until you have everything figured out before you begin. Sometimes, the beginning is a training session. Sometimes, it is a school outreach. Sometimes, it is a simple social media design. Sometimes, it is one opportunity that looks small but quietly changes the direction of your life.

Whether you are advocating for others, studying the microscopic building blocks of life, creating visual art, writing your thoughts, or simply trying to find your place in the world, your potential is limitless.

Do not let anyone convince you that your voice is not important.

Do not shrink yourself to make others comfortable.

Do not wait for permission to become the change you already know is needed.

My Story Continues

AHI gave me more than training.

It gave me courage.

It gave me exposure.

It gave me a platform to serve.

It gave me the confidence to speak, the opportunity to grow, and the first spark that led me into design.

And everything I am building today still carries traces of that beginning.

So, to every young person reading this, start where you are. Use the resources you have. Speak with the voice you have found. Build with the skills in your hands. Keep showing up, even when the path is not completely clear.

Because sometimes, the story that will define you begins quietly.

Mine began in a hall at Action Health Incorporated.

Hi, my name is Maryam Bello… and my story continues.