Almost twelve years after finishing high school, I find myself returning to that girl, the one who was ambitious, purpose-driven, and full of potential, but who stepped into adulthood without a map.

I always knew I wanted a career that meant something. One that placed me alongside people navigating life’s most complex challenges - social, economic, financial, physical. I knew my purpose lived somewhere in that space. What I did not know was how to find my footing in it, or how to trust myself while I searched.

I wish someone had told me that law, social justice and community development fields were expansive. That I did not have to confine myself to one corner of it. I wish someone had told me that exploring was not the same as being lost. That I was still on the right path. That I could go easy on myself.

Growing up in Ghana and building a life in Australia, I have carried two worlds within me, and I have come to understand that this dual identity is not a tension to resolve, but a strength to draw from. It has given me a particular sensitivity to the experiences of young women who are navigating not just career decisions, but questions of belonging, identity, and what it means to succeed on your own terms in a world that was not always designed with you in mind.

I have no regrets. Every experience, every detour, every moment of uncertainty, has shaped the professional and the person I am still becoming. That conviction has been the thread running through everything I have built. 

Hope Projects - delivered in 2019, 2021, and 2023 under NJS Village grew from my belief that every child, especially those in Ghana’s rural communities, deserves to experience what quality education truly looks like. 

Building Legacy with Nachie was born from a longing to celebrate African Australians thriving in their professions and callings far from home so that the next generation can see, and truly believe, what is possible.

Co-founding The Girls That Can had to be a natural next step.

I cannot turn back time, but I can do something more powerful. As a lawyer, community leader, and someone who has walked the long road between uncertainty and purpose, I can open doors, share knowledge, and walk alongside girls who are standing exactly where I once stood. I can do my part to ensure they do not step into adulthood without the guidance, skills, and self-belief they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. And I can invite others to do the same, creating space for those who have navigated their own winding roads to give back, to share the wisdom they wished their younger selves had, and to become the mentor they once needed.

That is what legacy means to me, not just what you achieve, but what you make possible for those who come after you.

My name is Nana Abena Achiaa Yalley (née Sarkodieh) - daughter, wife, mother, lawyer, and community leader. Born in Ghana, building in Australia and Ghana, and committed to ensuring the next generation of young women steps forward with confidence, clarity, and the tools to lead.