Eight years ago, my parents got me to participate in the Blue Nile Passage Inc. (BNP) at my local community center. BNP is a non-profit organization that works on uplifting black youth. The program focuses on the cultural, spiritual, and moral character of African Americans. Founded in 1994 by nine individuals of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York, NY, the goal was to create a sense of empowerment, and encourage black youth to take on a more leadership role and better themselves. My program was held every Saturday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and was led by mentors, or as we had to call them, elders.

When my parents first told me about the program, I instantly didn't want to go because I feared giving up all of my Saturdays. I felt that it would be like school over the weekend. At the time, I was 13 years old and the last thing I wanted to do was to be forced to go to "school" on a weekend. I had no intention of giving the program a chance, and the fact that I was forced made me miserable at the thought of it.

During the first few Saturdays, we were taught to wear traditional African garments (that must be worn every single Saturday or you will be scolded for it), standing up for the first hour, having to address yourself as "Young Sister ________" before you speak and learn about African culture. I honestly thought we were in a proper boot camp. I remained quiet and shy because I had no intention of knowing the other participants. The girls stayed in one room and the guys stayed in another. When it was lunch time, we would all merge and eat together to socialize. After lunch, everyone had to do a learning activity together to develop communication skills, leadership roles, and teamwork.

After the end of every meeting, the girls and guys would separate and be with their elders. We would all line up beside each other, and one of the young sisters chosen to lead would lead the rest of us in a chant. The purpose of the chant was to remind us how resilient and strong we are as young black women. We would put our fists in the air and chant as loud as we can to make sure that we really meant it and were passionate about our heritage.

Weeks went by, and my eyes started to open a little. It started when the elders introduced a segment called "kick it," where girls can vent and talk about drama, their feelings, ask for advice, and even tell funny jokes. This was great, because I finally felt as if I could use my voice and feel included. I would make the girls laugh and ask for advice, which was extremely helpful. Other girls were able to relate to me and I started to get closer to them. I started to take the program seriously, and I ended up enjoying coming on Saturdays. I started to become more social and bubbly around the young sisters and elders. I was also more invested in African culture, and the elders could see that.

One day, we went on a trip to the African American Museum in Baltimore, MD, and then the wax museum in Washington, D.C. On the bus ride there, I was answering all of the elder's questions, and he was very impressed. I also started to take in what I learned at both of the museums. I would talk to one of the elders and ask her questions because I was actually interested. I then spoke on behalf of my young sisters at the museum, and I started to notice a change: I was leaving my shyness behind and entering a more leadership role. I was able to recite our Blue Nile Passage creed word-for-word and even sang every verse of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" correctly. The elders started to know a change within me and encouraged me to keep going further with the program. So of course, I did!

Weeks after that, we were preparing for our ceremony of passing through, the transition of being a "Young Sister" to a "Young Daughter." We learned African dances, and we had to recite the creed once again. It was hard work, but I managed to give it my all during practices.

On the day of the ceremony, I was finally a Young Daughter. My mentor who helped me through it all told everyone that when I first came into the program, I was shy and reserved. But as the program progressed, I became more outspoken, social, and developed a love of public speaking. The program influenced me to try new things that I always said I would never do. I made new friends and became well known around my community.

Now, eight years later, I still thank the Blue Nile program for helping me succeed and find my voice. As a college student, I plan to use what I learned in the program as a guideline for how I would like to live my life. My advice to young students who are interested in the program is to give it some time and really take the information in. I was once like you. I originally didn't want to give the program a chance and now, I'm glad I did. To anyone who is part of the program reading this, thank you for everything that you have done!