Heart On Her Sleeve Ambition, though a personal experience, has the power to be inspiring. This is a story of how despite the diverse challenges, from being a migrant to a working mother, the ambition of an individual has inspired others.
By Natalie Leroy Caroline Kahwati and her family migrated from Khartoum, Sudan to Sydney, Australia speaking only Arabic with little knowledge about the English language at school. She was two years old. Caroline was told she would never be good at English but proved to the teachers they were wrong as she topped the subject year after year. Her eldest sister Heidi was subjected to a similar rhetoric, however, she went on to major in English at university - becoming one of the first migrants to do so. Heidi also went on to achieve her Masters in English as well as a Masters in Psychology and Sociology. Her other sister, Rolly was told she would never become a Doctor, but is now a highly regarded General Practitioner. On all counts, it was a teacher who made note that because they were migrants and also women, these dreams were not
The glass ceili be smashed t work, pas determi achievable for them. They grew up during an era where technology surged and time after time, they were faced with roadblocks. Yet, the Kahwatis were never deterred and took every challenge head on. To me, that is what it means to be ambitious. To be passionate and go after a goal, despite so many reasons to give up. I’m lucky enough to call them family, with Caroline being my Mum. The Kahwatis can not be concisely summarised. Their stories vary from surviving civil wars and persecutions to running the largest textile shop in Sudan. I will however share a few stories from my Mum
