Growing up in Pakistan, Fatima Saleem was an avid swimmer and dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion. Unfortunately, pursuing that dream was difficult. Fatima needed a female coach who could take her to the next level; she also needed a culturally appropriate place to swim. Although the challenges were not insurmountable, they made it difficult to continue and in the end, she lost interest in the sport. “I should have pushed myself,” she says. “I gave up on my dream and it was a mistake. I don’t want other girls to make the same mistake. I want to push them to follow their dreams.”

From an early age, Fatima understood the power of information and the ways information shapes public perception. “History is explained through the eyes of journalists,” so within journalism there is great power. Now, one of the only female sports journalists in Karachi, Fatima provides a unique perspective on sports news. “My vocation as a sports journalist combines two distinct passions of my life,” she says. Fatima is now driven to train the next generation of female sports reporters by introducing sport courses in schools and by starting clubs or academies for underprivileged girls.