Our SHE-CAN Scholar:

Robertline Sougbay

SHE-CAN Scholar: Robertline Sougbay

Robertline Sougbay is an incoming First-Year student at Bentley University. She was born into a family of six in Monrovia, Liberia, but was raised in Lower Nimba by her parents, who are now farmers. Although she started her educational journey in a little substandard school in her village, Robertline spent her time learning and discovering new things. Giving back to her country has always been her goal, so she searched for ways to stand against gender discrimination, advocate for women’s rights through menstruation activism, spread awareness on the Land Rights Act passed in 2018, engage in public speaking, and volunteer. Robertline joined many youth-led organizations that supported her passions, particularly focusing on ending the stigmatization of menstrual education.

Robertline graduated in 2022 from St. Martin’s Catholic High School in Bong County on a full-ride scholarship. She was awarded this scholarship because of her academic excellence and graduating as one of the best-performing students. While at school, Robertline started volunteering at her school’s radio station, Paraclete FM, as a News Reporter and Broadcaster. She used this platform to keep the public informed about gender equality, personal hygiene, and ways to maintain good health. In addition, she volunteered with the Youth Crime Watch of Liberia as a Peer Educator and was awarded Best Disabilities Activist.

Robertline wants to empower girls in rural Liberia to find their voices through spoken word poetry, menstrual education, and community service projects focusing mainly on women’s empowerment. She worked as the Executive Director of the Sustainable Women Education Empowerment Program (SWEEP). In 2023, Robertline founded an organization called “Grow Liberia,” a nonprofit organization aiming to educate girls on how to produce reusable pads. Now, Grow Liberia has not only undertaken a school supply distribution project, awarding 30 high-performing students in a school in Lower Bong County with school supplies, but also developed the “Girls Menstruation Matter” program to educate girls on menstrual hygiene.

She aims to work with other healthcare practitioners to strengthen the overall healthcare system upon her return to Liberia. She is also passionate about establishing a health organization with the primary goal of rehabilitating drug addicts, providing health education to girls, sponsoring underprivileged girls through school, and providing vocational training skills, among other initiatives.

At Bentley University, Robertline plans to major in Public Health and minor in International Relations to globally address and expand her knowledge of health, social issues, and nonprofit organization establishment. She currently works at the Undergraduate Admissions Office as an International Peer Advisor. This position has helped her interact with incoming Bentley students, share her experiences, and learn more about Bentley and its variety of interesting majors. She is also a member of the Women’s Leadership Program, a community that supports girls by providing different leadership workshops and enhancing their knowledge on cross-cultural issues. She hopes to implement strategies to improve the quality of rural health facilities with the goal of saving lives and using her story as an inspiration to empower other Liberian girls.

Robertline Sougbay
Incoming

Academic Major

Undeclared
Class of 2028

Mentor Team

Ellen Silverman, Freelance Photographer, Ellen Silverman Photography
Susan Lieberman, Author, Self-Employed
Kathy Williams, Independent Board Member, The Capital Group: American Funds
Myra Chow, Senior Director , The San Francisco Foundation
Andrea La Croix, Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology, UC San Diego