Robertline Sougbay is an incoming First Year student at Bentley University. Robertline was born into a family of 6 in Monrovia, Liberia, but raised in lower Nimba by her parents who are now farmers. Although she started her educational journey in a little substandard school within her village, Robertline put time into learning and discovering new things. Giving back to her country has always been her goal, so she searched for ways that led her to standing against Gender Discrimination, advocating for women’s Rights through menstruation activism, spreading awareness on the Land Rights Acts that was passed in 2018, public speaking, and volunteering. Robertline joined many youth-led organizations that supported her passions, specially focusing on putting an end to the stigmatization held on menstrual education.
Robertline graduated in 2022 from the 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 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 of maintaining 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 in subsequent time. Now, Grow Liberia has not only undertaken a distribution of school supplies project: awarded 30 high performing students in a school in lower Bong County. She also developed the “Girls Menstruation Matter” program to educate girls on menstrual hygiene.
At Bentley University, Robertline plans to major in Public Health and minor in International Affairs to globally address and expand my knowledge on health, social issues, nonprofit organizations establishment, but most importantly, work with other healthcare practitioners to strengthen the overall healthcare system. She hopes to implement strategies to improve the quality of rural health facilities with the ultimate goal of saving lives and use her story as an inspiration to empower other Liberian girls.
