Engaged at age five, Dr. Ntaiya experienced female genital mutilation, and was born into a life that was set to follow the traditional Maasai path of ending school early to become a wife and mother, but she had a different dream. She negotiated with her father to return to school and was later accepted to college in the United States, eventually earning a PhD in education from the University of Pittsburgh. Returning to her community to fulfil a promise to help them, Dr. Ntaiya founded the inter- national nonprofit Kakenya’s Dream to educate girls and end harmful traditional practices, including FGM and child marriage. In 2009, the Kakenya Center for Excellence boarding school opened its doors. Today, Dr. Ntaiya reaches thousands of young girls, boys, and community members each year through three holistic girl-centered programs. She was featured in Bill Gates’s Heroes in the Field series, was named a Top 10 CNN Hero in 2013, and is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. She received the Global Women’s Rights Award from the Feminist Majority Foundation in 2013, and the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award in 2008. Dr. Ntaiya was recognized by the Women in the World Foundation with a Women of Impact Award, and counted among Women Deliver’s 100 Most Inspiring People Delivering for Girls and Women.