1,2…Talents !

The Beautiful Soul team is enriched by the arrival of Julia Diouf and Fatouma Sokona. Cross-interview. You've both experienced...

The Beautiful Soul team is enriched by the arrival of Julia Diouf and Fatouma Sokona. Cross-interview.


You have both lived most of your lives in Europe and North America. What motivated you to settle in Senegal?

Julia: This is the second time I've come back to live in Senegal. I first returned in 2009. I stayed for three years and then continued my studies in Human Resources in Canada. I knew I would come back to live in Senegal. In 2017, after a phone conversation with my mother, I realized that my parents were getting older and I felt that the time to go home had come.

Professionally, everything was going well for me in Canada but I sensed that I would have more interesting challenges to face in Senegal. I first took a gap year and gave myself a year to decide if I wanted to stay permanently. The desire to be with family and work for Africa are the two things that motivated me to come back.

Fatouma: I have lived in many countries and Senegal is the one where I feel the best. It is a melting pot of cultures, between Africa and the Western world. As a young person, I think it's the ideal country to return and develop a career.

What gets you up in the morning?

Julia: The need to feel useful and put my skills at the service of Senegal and people who probably need to benefit much more from what I have learned. It is this feeling of making a difference and making my contribution to Africa's development. Every contribution is useful.

Fatouma: Wanting to have an impact on individuals. My purpose in life is to make an impact and help people have a better quality of life and a better environment. I had the chance to live in different countries and learn different things. I make it my duty today to be able to help people who have not had the same opportunity, especially young people.

What are your main professional challenges at Beautiful Soul?

Julia: I've always been captivated by humans. I studied two disciplines, Psychology and Human Resources, both of which relate to the human being. The fact that Beautiful Soul offers coaching services to uplift people and allow them to reveal their potential is magical. I want to contribute to it. I also aspire to become a Coach later in my career. My position as Project Coordinator allows me to be at the heart of projects, to touch everything and to understand the human and professional qualities to have. I want to help people develop. I did it a lot for young people. My position really aligns with my career goals. 

Fatouma: My long-term goal is to become a Program Manager. My work at Beautiful Soul will allow me to be trained. I appreciate that we are an organization on a human scale because it allows me to learn the job by benefiting from the experience of the team.


Team Retreat on Ngor Island
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