Personal Narrative: Emma Jean Bouie

I wasn’t born a leader. No tragic event made me open my eyes to become a leader. In actuality, my mother enrolled me into an all-female women’s empowerment leadership program without my consent. I was not insecure, my grades were superb; I was however, an active follower of the most uninfluential group of friends every parent dreads. Being a follower instead of a leader is a very childlike trait. It takes an adult, woman or man, to step up and take charge in doing what they know is best for themselves and those who follow. When I’m not being a quirky goofball Emma Jean Bouie, I’m being sophisticated, empowered woman little miss Nadia Moffet. Ever since I met Nadia Moffet, C.E.O of The Queens Foundation and Miss North Carolina 2010, she has instilled something spiritually and mentally inside of me that has helped shape the young leader I am today. From the age of 13, I was no longer just Emma Jean Bouie, I slowly became, “a beautiful, powerful and strong beyond measure woman.’ I remember my younger pre-teen self, walking into the conference room filled with 30 diverse girls, only to later realize that we would soon all develop a
I walked with my chin held high, I began straying away from the group of associates that did not benefit me emotionally or academically. I saw a change within the first week and so did everyone around me. But of course, a short retreat can only have a short-term result. Miss Nadia strongly believed that a 3 day retreat isn’t enough to provoke young girls to become advocates for their community, so she made sure that we had to attend mandatory events throughout the year in order to keep an active status in the program. It was only a matter of time before I was back to my old ways. We were required to volunteer at program events during the year to help other girls. It was nostalgic seeing these girls in my shoes, I was eager to see them progress, as I