Fatimata Cham ’23 selected as 2022 GLOW Global Fellow

By Sarah Aparicio ’25

Fatimata Cham ’23 was recently selected as a 2022 Cantu Beauty and Women Empowering Nations GLOW Global Fellow. The fellowship, which included a four-month immersive opportunity that culminated in a weeklong trip to Ghana, aimed to mentor young women of color on their journey of leadership. 

During the fellowship, Cham joined virtual lessons on four areas of the beauty industry: consumer, concept, commercial, and campaign. While in Ghana, Cham had the opportunity to work with girls from two different schools, teaching them about storytelling, branding, and how to pitch their own stories. Cham served on a panel where fellows shared their stories to about 300 girls from both schools that they had previously visited. She also got to see the girls she mentored share their own stories.

Hearing these stories reminded Cham of the start of her Lafayette journey: At first, her anxiety had kept her from joining clubs, but over time at Lafayette, she grew, becoming more confident, ambitious, and courageous. 

At the end of the fellowship, Cham and her group won their capstone presentation, making them Cantu Beauty’s new brand ambassadors.

Cham was encouraged to continue to pursue the opportunity by Julia Goldberg, associate dean of advising and co-curricular programs, who has been a supportive force for her throughout her Lafayette journey. 

“People care about you here. Whether that be your professors, fellow students, administration, faculty, or staff—people want to see you succeed,” Cham says. “The important thing is to know how to reach out for help. We can’t do it all on our own, no matter how much we’d like to believe that. Reaching out for help is key.”