All Quotes

"It’s overwhelming to think about how broken some of these systems are, how imperfect some of our tools for change are"

"Young people rise to the occasion time and time again, especially when we’re faced with things that are of deep concern to us"

"We need every voice. We need every person"

"On a set, you’re a character. Everything about you is altered. In the tent, the goal is to be yourself."

"Being Black and Iranian is something that even subconsciously plays into what I bring to a role"

"“It’s not about appearances or needing to seem like I’m good at everything"

"Education has always been an integral part of my life"

"My parents instilled this idea that learning is a lifelong adventure, whether that's in a classroom or out in the world"

"It's OK to not have all the answers"

"We cannot rely on the status quo, and we will need to pursue unconventional paths"

"Let yourself be bad at things"

"Not every attempt of mine would be a surefire success"

"We are not here to know, we are here to learn"

"The best learning happens when we give ourselves permission to fumble through something new"

"Finding what fulfills us is the ultimate success"

"It's OK to have multiple passions and to pursue them in various capacities"

"Allow yourself the freedom to explore different fields"

"My 20s has been a jarring experiment in figuring out how to give myself space to be mediocre at things"

"I have an unreasonable belief that I should be good immediately, and that's no way to discover new paths"

"One of the biggest exercises in being curious has been the first step of self-work, of talking to myself about being bad, and allowing myself to be absolutely an amateur with no goals of being advanced at something"

"At the age of 14, I had a mic in my hand and they were asking me about representation and about topics that I think not many 14-year-olds have a chance to discuss"

"My education allowed me to speak more ­confidently about the things that I advocate for in my work"

"I feel like I’m only here because of the people who have come before me"

"Fashion innovation is hard, but when people come in with their own aesthetic, it’s really inspiring"

"Originality and authenticity are synonymous to me in that, on a spiritual, more emotional level, it’s about staying grounded in who you are"

"The moments when I stop ­worrying about how I’m being perceived are really ­freeing."

"But what I love so much about the collision between time and space that has happened right now is the fact that I am in no way the face of anything, because when I look at so many of my peers, there are people doing the same work, more work, different work than I am"

"I describe my future as being policy-adjacent"

"I'm never going to find myself in positions in which I genuinely regret what I'm doing."

"We want this spectrum of ourselves portrayed in every physical possible spiritual, mental, emotional way that is so much more than saying I am a brown woman, or I am a black woman on TV, but saying, I am a fraction of my community"

"we are continuously undoing the works of how media, in particular, has been weaponized against minorities of any kind"

"So many times in the conversation, [colorism is used] as a straight up denial of blackness"

"The journey into becoming an actor wasn’t one that was necessarily anchored in this desire to be on screen, but more so anchored in this desire to be a part of storytelling"

"My sense of audacity came from the fact that I felt so well represented in my home, from what I was looking at, from the fact that my parents formed what we call an alternate curriculum of books, folklore, fairytales, where everybody was global, Black, Brown, from every different part of the world"

"The question of why should the audience care is something that we’re always having to answer"

"It is my first WAFCON so being able to stand there, sing the national anthem with a proud chest, in that moment I was just thinking about my family, the people close to me, people that I care about and all of them watching me."

"I need to be locked in and give everything. I am grateful that it worked out today, so I am looking forward to the next game."

"Watching from the stands in the opener, I knew that if I am going to get a chance to come in, I need to do more, work hard and give my team the balance."

"I am super excited that I finally have played at the WAFCON. This is a dream come true."

"I am kind of sad of course because this is not the result that we wanted but I am grateful for the platform."

"Football has shaped me to find myself, my identity as a woman and as a footballer. It has taught me about life and how to embrace opportunities. It gave me an opportunity to go to college and because of that, I want to be an inspiration to young girls in Ghana. I want them to dream that it is possible to make it, to play with the best in the world."

"Football has provided me with a platform to meet important people and play with and against the best of the best. These are opportunities that I do not take for granted."

"Playing in the USA gave me the mentality to work harder than everybody else, to always be ready."

"So, I have always been working hard and waiting for an opportunity, and it has finally come."

"I give back to the community, to the young ones especially those that never had an opportunity to have mentorship. We give them boots and this alone can change their lives. We have so many partners that come on board to donate and this has been important to us."

"I love DC [Washington DC] because the people are very respectful, a predominantly Black community gives a feeling of home. You will see so many Ghanaians, Ugandans, Ethiopians basically, you will see people who are the same. People who will take you as a sister and make sure that you do not feel out of place."

"Being a Nuzest Influencer means a lot to me, and not only inspire young athletes to work harder but also help them take care of their body and stay healthy as well. Where I came from, I was never introduced to nutritions as much as a player, but when I had the opportunity to further my career here, I wanted to learn all that I didn't have in my country so I can help young athletes to understand how proteins and nutrition are important for players."

"I make sure I have enough protein, carbs, and healthy fat in all my nutrition. And constantly reminding myself of what to put in my body because the work we do requires us to be in good shape all the time."

"I would say trust the process, be able to learn about the product and what works for you. And also give yourself the chance to start something new."

"This is a dream come true for me. Representing Ghana at this level is an honour, and I’m giving everything for my team."