My name is Malika. I come from a religiously strict household where everything is limited and under the control of adults, which means that children, even girls and women, have little voice in most decisions.

The place I’m from, people are trapped in old cultural thoughts. For instance, when women give birth, they can’t name their own child, which I believe is unfair. Women's furious tears stream down their faces as they realize they aren't allowed to name their own children. The in-laws are free to act in this way. When I was born, these old-school cultural rules still existed. My mother was devastated since I am her third child, and she expected my grandmother to give her the opportunity to name me, but she did not do so. 

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At that moment, I realized something important. Maybe I could see my name as something special instead of something heavy to carry. All my life, I’ve thought I had to follow someone else's decisions. But just  seeing people's reactions to my name brought me strength and feelings that I had never felt before. I started to imagine myself if no one had ever expected anything from me.  

As I studied, I realized that my path to the future had to include being a businesswoman. When my grandmother calls, she asks how my studies to be a doctor are doing, and when I tell her I'm aiming for a new career choice, she doesn't seem  excited. At least my grandma will realize in the end that not all girls have to be doctors and that I'm content with my own decisions, even though she is not thrilled that I'm defying the "all girls must be doctors" rules. 

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