The road hasn’t always been easy for Fatmata Sesay ’23, but she’s pushed through for her father. Despite the challenges, she has not only made it just a few months away from graduation (which is no easy feat on its own), but she also leaves behind a tremendous legacy from her involvement on campus and dedication towards making Bryn Mawr better for the next generations to come.
In 2010 Fatmata and her family moved from their home country of Gambia to Houston, TX through the United Nations due to her father’s failing health. Fatmata had always been passionate about education, but even more so when she moved to the U.S. since there were several times back home when her family could not afford school.
“My father was always the biggest supporter for me and my education. He was always pushing me and encouraging me to do good. So, I’ve always been fighting, always telling my story of how I’m in this country, and how I have to use all of the opportunities that I get because some of these opportunities are limited back home.”
Fatmata’s father unfortunately passed away during the fall of her sophomore year at Bryn Mawr. She flew back home for the funeral and then had a decision to make. Fatmata’s mother suggested that she stay and take a gap year to be home with family, but Fatmata ultimately decided to keep going.
“I asked myself, should I really take a year off? But I knew that’s not what my father wanted for me, so I came back to finish what I started.”
Fatmata recalls the promise that her father made to her before she joined Bryn Mawr.
“He said, ‘on your graduation day, no matter what I’ll make sure I’m present for you.’ When I came back, the hardest thing was knowing that my father wouldn’t be there for me physically on my graduation day. But I thought about it, and I know he’s going to be there. I don’t know how, but he’s going to see me walk that stage. I just kept thinking in my head that I can’t stop now. Sophomore year was hard, but I finished it. Junior year, senior year… piece of cake.”
Fatmata makes it sound easier than it looks. On top of her studies, Fatmata serves as SGA’s Social Justice and Equity Chair, an Owl Ambassador, co-president for Adelante, a DLT member, a PAIR mentor for fellow refugees, and a student coordinator for the Black at Bryn Mawr program.
Fatmata took a Black at Bryn Mawr tour in her first year and felt so seen by the figures mentioned in the tour, like Enid Cook ’31, the first Black woman to graduate from Bryn Mawr.
“She was a STEM major and at that time I was trying to be a STEM major, so I really clicked with her. I was like wow, I kind of understand how she feels; I remember my biology class being so large and I felt very small. Hearing about Enid Cook really connected with me. And I also want to be that person to give out and educate the community inside and outside – I want to spread that information.”
Although Bryn Mawr’s early founding did not include students of color, knowing that there were Black students who later came in despite the obstacles, persisted, and forged their own paths gave Fatmata the confidence that she too would be able to make it through her own challenges as a BIPOC, FGLI student. Fatmata joined the Black at Bryn Mawr team in her sophomore year and is now the student coordinator for the program.
“The thing I really love about the Black at Bryn Mawr tours is that it’s very collaborative. We’re communicating and educating the audience, but we’re also learning from the audience because they often have things to share. There’s so many times I’ve learned from my peers, staff, professors from what they had to say. As we learn and talk about this, we can make things better not only for us, but also for the people who will come after us.”
Giving back is a value that Fatmata has carried with her through all aspects of her college experience. This May, Fatmata will graduate with a degree in psychology in hopes of becoming a pediatric mental health specialist.
Due to her father’s health, Fatmata describes the hospital as her “second home” back in Houston. It was through her experience of always being in the hospital surrounded by doctors that Fatmata felt inspired to also go into medicine.
In pursuit of a pre-med track, Fatmata started off taking biology courses at Bryn Mawr. While she enjoyed biology and was doing well in her classes, she wondered if it was the best path for her. She had always been curious about the brain, especially because of the stigma around mental health in her own family, and wanted to give psychology a try.
Fatmata initially thought that it was too late to pursue a psychology major since she was already midway through her sophomore year. She also worried she would be at a disadvantage since she had never taken any psychology courses in high school. But with some encouragement from faculty members in the psychology department, Fatmata enrolled in her first intro class, loved it, and hasn’t looked back.
Fatmata hopes that the unique facets of her identity will help contribute to the underrepresented topics and clients in the field of mental health.
“People feel comfortable talking to people who know where they are coming from. If I can provide that I think it will be helpful to so many children. It can be hard if there’s a barrier blocking the relationship between a therapist and their client. I feel like there’s so many different values that I bring to the table."
Fatmata’s love for kids extends to many of her extracurriculars and she regularly spends her time volunteering for children in the area and back home. Every Friday since her first-year, Fatmata has been volunteering with Adelante where she teaches STEAM to middle schoolers in the Norristown Area School District.
“It’s one of the extracurriculars that I really enjoy because I’m working with kids and they’re fantastic. Seeing the passion that comes from their learning has been amazing.”
Fatmata also connects regularly with children back home in Houston with the Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees (PAIR) organization. Fatmata joined PAIR as a middle schooler when she first moved to the U.S. and strengthened her English through the program. Now as a PAIR mentor, Fatmata helps refugees who are in their first year of college maneuver through the different challenges of college life, as well as show them how to have fun.
“All of us have our lives, our stories, our backgrounds. Bryn Mawr can be difficult sometimes, but as long as you remember your roots, where you’re from, I think you can push yourself because motivation really matters.”