The Promise that Lit My Path to Serve
Q & A with Fatima Ashaq, Community Engagement Manager
What is something that always makes you feel confident?
I found my confidence in motherhood. It wasn’t until I had children, people who rely on me, that I pushed to be a better version of myself and build up my self-esteem. Now, I’m more direct. Over the last ten years, I’ve advocated for my children and that experience has created more confidence in me. I always joke that since becoming a mother, I’ve graduated from people-pleasing.
What does empowerment look like to you in everyday life?
Empowerment means knowing what is good for me and making my own choices, as well as standing firm in those choices. Naturally, that took maturity and lived experience, but even since joining Leap to Success, my friends and family say, “Wow! There’s a light in you!”
Professionally, empowerment means confidently showcasing my skills. Working with this team naturally builds up my sense of empowerment and self-esteem. Personally, I feel inspired by the women’s stories, those we serve and those on our team. I think we [the women of Leap to Success] are all powerhouses! We all have so much to offer! So, in that way, I feel a duty to show up every day. In doing so, I feel empowered by my work.
Who is a woman who has inspired you?
My mom persevered through so many different barriers and challenges. Throughout my life, when things get hard or I face adversity, I think, Well, my mom got through much worse, so what’s stopping me? My mom and dad immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan in the late 1970s. At the time, they were newlyweds and their country was being invaded. My mom tells how she asked my dad to make her a promise. She asked, “If we get married and leave the country, can you promise that I can become educated?”
They worked hard to build a new life and create more opportunities. Education was very important to both my parents, and my dad kept his promise. As a child, I watched my mother, who came to America without knowing a word of English. She aspired to be a teacher, like my grandmother, who was a principal/teacher in her home country.
My dad, who had a business processing pistachios in Afghanistan, was very educated. He had a doctorate in law, and he was very open and diverse in his perspectives, which is not always the case where he comes from. I was very fortunate in that way.
Shortly after coming to the States, while making their way from the East Coast to San Francisco then settling in the Central Valley, my dad set my mom up with a tutor. She started learning English. At the time, she was going to junior college and would record her lectures so that my dad could translate them for her. They had a very good partnership. She eventually graduated from Sacramento State with a degree in liberal arts.
With a lot of hard work, through tough seasons and raising small children, it was important for me to see my mom in a cap and gown for her graduation. That image means more to me now than when I was a child. I look up to my mom; she is a champion! Unfortunately, she didn’t get to walk at her graduation because she was so close to delivering my brother, but I remember her being so excited. She said to me and my older sister, “Your mom is a college graduate!”
I remember running for class president in high school, crying to my mom because I was working and campaigning so hard, but I was not sure that I was going to win. I’ll never forget her response. She said, “If someone else did it before you, you can do it. And if it doesn’t happen, you tried your best. Feel good about that!”
Thankfully, the result was good. I did win class president. But up until they officially announced it, I was prepared to lose. I remember thinking, it’s going to be okay because I tried my best!
What part of our mission resonates with you the most?
Overcoming adversity resonates with me the most because my background in public health has involved populations that have been impacted by adversity. I’ve always been passionate about bridging gaps, meeting the needs of people, advocating for others, and providing resources and connections. I’ve worked in public health policy and research, but my primary focus, whether in healthcare or the work I do now, is empowering people and giving underserved populations a voice. Today, what motivates me is helping people overcome adversity, whereas before the focus was on adversity itself. With Leap to Success, there is an element of adversity, but our mission is driven on the notion that there is so much more to come after.
What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning & support the women in our community?
In speaking to women about our Leap to Confidence® program, I am fortunate and grateful to be in a position to connect them to this great opportunity, inviting them to participate in a program that I have gone through and been positively impacted by. What motivates me to get out of bed is the thought, could this be the day that I reach one more woman? So often, when I am talking to women, they will tell me, “I have been looking for something like this!”
What that tells me is that there is a need for this program! And what drives me is being the first touch point in the process of making that happen for them. I’ve later connected with some of these women at our in-person graduations, and as I’m hugging them, it feels like such a full-circle moment! Hearing them read their power statements on stage has left me in tears.
If you could have lunch with anyone, living or dead, who would it be, & why?
It would be a dream to have lunch with my father. He passed away three years ago. He was the light of my life. What I’ve shared about my mom is very complimentary to my father. He really instilled in us [kids] the notion that women are strong, able to do anything they set their mind to. Growing up, he was the one who pushed us to feel empowered. He was the empath–the sound of reason. He was the best father–knowledgeable and always with solid tokens of advice.
Every time I sat with him, I always walked away with so much more perspective. He was one of those people who lived a diverse life. Not only did he immigrate to the United States from Afghanistan, but he lived in Europe for many years and got his education there. He returned to Afghanistan, looking for a wife. He found my mom and, together, they journeyed to America.
Eventually, my dad bought land in Central California, a small, rural town called Chowchilla, and replicated his pistachio business. It was a really big deal. That instilled in me determination, a focus on education, and helping people. Growing up, helping others was a theme in our home.
Throughout my life, my father fueled my fire and built up my confidence to help people and to become an entrepreneur. If I could ask him anything today, it would be this: “Is there anything you still dream for me to do in my life?”
