With brown skin, short hair, and a constant smile, Diane Mukamurenzi is working to build a better future. Diane, 21, lives in the Kacyiru District in the capital city of Rwanda, Kigali. Her family comprises her mom (her dad died in 2000) and six siblings, three boys and three girls – she is the youngest.

While the government of Rwanda tries to empower the girls of the country, most girls her age do not know how to make decisions about their future. She says her mom struggles to feed her and her siblings, so the elder siblings now have jobs.

Diane is studying tourism and hotel management at her secondary school. But she has always been fond of journalism as a career, too. A goal-oriented girl, she says she is thrilled to know more in journalism. “Many years ago, when I was still a little child, I liked journalists. [I liked] the way they worked and the results of their work. Unfortunately, I did not find a chance to study that option in my secondary school,” she says. “I thought that was the end of my dream.”

“But when I appeared here this week, I was so excited, and immediately I knew my dream of being a journalist was realized,” Diane said. In her daily life, Diane would like to follow in the footsteps of her elder sister, Joseline, who is married with one child.

Diane says she looks up to Joseline because she has a happy family and is the one who encourages her to work hard for a better future. Diane says it makes her feel deeply powerful when she sees the way the whole world is empowering women.

“In the past, especially in our country, girls were not given a voice. They could not share ideas in society. But now we have women in parliament and in companies, which is so amazing!” said Diane. “When you empower a woman, you empower the world,” she says.