Meet Lateefat, the Global Storyteller!

Growing up in a densely populated mainland of Lagos, Nigeria, where access to quality education is at an all-time low, learning is automatically pace-slower for children born into average families. Give up? Not for Lateefat! She would instead turn the tide and make history out of her story. She has influenced over 20,000 young boys, girls, women, and families with her lived experiences. Lateefat currently works with the State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, where she uses her expertise as a certified mental health screener to evaluate individuals at risk of suicide, substance use, or co-occurring needs and support their families with psychoeducation, brief supportive counseling, reassurance and linkage referrals to community intervention.

Although a trained clinical psychologist, Lateefat identifies as a Story Psychologist, Mental health Consultant of repute, Author, Publisher, Policy Advocate, Scholar Activist, and Founder of One Young African in the United States. Lateefat is a doctoral candidate at National Louis University studying community psychology, explicitly researching the impact of stories as liberatory tools and empowerment models for collective identity and healing. She is also exploring the impact of Artificial intelligence and the Internet on exacerbating mental health conditions through self-diagnosis and enhancing young people’s cultural literacy using cultural preservation and conservation. She is a charismatic young leader and a formidable voice for youth, especially women. As an ardent leader and passionate educator, she founded LITERAREACH. This non-governmental organization focuses on enhancing young people’s cultural, digital, and other transformative literacy skills to break the vicious cycles of intergenerational poverty in rural areas and marginalized communities. She advocates for equity, justice, and inclusion, focusing on young people’s rights. She offers vital support as a mental health professional and works as an independent youth consultant and community researcher. Her work has impacted lives in Nigeria, Africa, and the United States, empowering thousands and fostering transformative change.