I'm Standing in the Wake of your Power!

Dear sisters,

When I first joined PulseWire, two years ago, I was the 658th member to sign up. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of a powerful journey for me that has directed my life on a new path, ignited friendships across the world from Kathmandu, Nepal to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and lifted me in ways I thought not possible.

At first I was very intimidated by PulseWire and the idea of raising my voice in this community of such amazing women. I began devouring the journal entries of women from around the world who had such interesting, empowering, tragic, and inspiring stories to tell. How could little ol’ me, a young woman from Alaska who hasn’t done much yet in her life and hasn’t experienced true hardship, relate to these women?

There was one woman who especially intimidated me and drew me into her life through her journal. Tabby is HIV positive and at the time was struggling with an abusive husband. How could I have anything of value to say to this woman? But I began commenting on her journal, just letting her know how much she affected me and inspired me and how despite our physical distance and cultural barrier, I could feel her strength and inner beauty through her words. Tabby expressed her gratitude for the members, like myself, who were reading her words and sending her encouragement and it was through this interaction that I became hooked on PulseWire.

Since then I have witnessed the PulseWire community reach over 11,000 members from 185 countries. I journeyed with the first Voices of Our Future class and met women like Busayo of Nigeria, whose first Google search led to the VOF announcement, and one year later she was attending the Empowerment Institute in New York and launching her dream to open a Women's Inspiration Center in her community. And I met women like Sunita of Nepal and Gifty of Ghana who through their journey with VOF were empowered to apply for One Young World in London, where they spoke to the world's youth alongside Sir Desmond Tutu on the issues of girls in their communities.

And now today, as I read your assignments, witness your collaborative discussions and supportive comments, and stand in awe of your powerful profiles and energizing testimonies... I sense a new wave of change - of what's possible when women have a global platform to speak for themselves and a network of women worldwide to share dreams and innovative solutions for gender equality.

You are the voices that the world is yearning to hear. Your story is the lesson that will teach the masses. Your vision is the future that we long to achieve. I just feel honored to know you.