Tracy Obirika

I seek a deep understanding of myself and my mission. I use leadership, innovation, and purpose-driven action to create lasting impact in climate resilience and community empowerment. For me, growth is not only about achievement, but about gaining a deeper understanding of who I am as a person, what I stand for, and my mission. I've committed myself to creating sustainable, inclusive solutions that will empower communities and inspire change. My mom would always say that the worst thing to do is not to try it at all and regret that you didn't do it. When I remember these words every day, I wake up in the morning and think, as hard as it is, as small as I look, I want to leave saying that I tried it, than never doing it. I don't want to be locked in a cocoon and feel like I can't do it. I want to be among the women who spoke up when they needed to, even when they felt unseen and unheard, or like they were not taken seriously.

My mom would always say that the worst thing to do is not to try it at all and have regret that you didn't do it. When I remember these words every day, I wake up in the morning and I'm like, as hard as it is, as small as I look, I want to leave saying that I tried it, than never doing it. I also received powerful advice from Linda French, the head of sustainability at JP Morgan, who told me to stop worrying about what tomorrow is gonna be and wake up and take up the task. Stop worrying about uncertainty and take up the task. Build trust among people, build trust within yourself, and take up spaces - don't wait for opportunities to be given to you. My professor at Johns Hopkins, Mara Cowling, always reminded me that being different doesn't mean you don't belong. Being different is actually a power, a superpower. That's what I carry with me every single day when I walk into spaces where I feel like being young, being a woman, being Black makes me feel like a minority.

I believe young people are the next changemakers, and we have to do whatever it takes to make sure that we get a seat at the table. We need to earn it, and how do we earn it? When more young people come together, see the ills of society, see the gaps that we have, and take that as an opportunity and run with it. It's never going to be easy, but the ball is in our court to change what we need - the change that we want to see. We are the ones to make the change. The change is us. And there's no one else to do it. If we don't do it, no one else is gonna do it. It's our time. I don't want to be among the women who were locked in a cocoon and felt like they can't do it. I want to be among the women who spoke up when they needed to, even when they felt unseen and unheard, or like they were not taken seriously.

Number one is being young - it's very hard sometimes to be taken seriously. And sometimes when you dream big, people see the dreams as too big. They're like, oh, you're too ambitious, I don't think this will work out. Another major challenge is funding of grassroots initiatives, especially when it comes to Indigenous communities. These are things that we have seen time immemorial that are not being taken seriously. As much as you're so motivated, there's only so much you can do without proper funding to make an impact. That has been my greatest challenge, but also that has been my greatest motivation. When I wake up in the morning and things seem like they're not going right, that's when I want to work so hard and achieve what I want to achieve. On the opportunity side, I saw a gap in how people were not informed about renewable energy. I believe back at home we have the resources that we need, but we just lack the proper coordination and awareness of how big this can be. I took that as an opportunity to be among the young people who are leading and creating awareness.

My personal value is seeking a deep understanding of myself and my mission. I'm hoping to use leadership, innovation, and purpose-driven action to create a lasting impact in climate resilience and community empowerment. For me, growth is not only about achievement, but about gaining a deeper understanding of who I am as a person, what I stand for, and the mission. I've committed myself to creating sustainable, inclusive solutions that will empower communities and inspire change. Most of my life for the past 5 years has been career and charity work - where can I give back? Where can I make impact? Who can I empower? Who can I inspire? That's what drives me every day.