SE5/EP 46: From Bullying to Empowerment- How Mariem Sanoe Is Transforming African Immigrant Families

In 2017, Pánsá Pánsá Forum was established to normalize conversation about the importance of community engagement regarding African immigrant experiences in America. This forum was created to facilitate discussion of our adjustment to our new homes as immigrants and to openly discuss complex issues within our community. We have held many community conversations on intergenerational relationships, featuring discussions between African parents and their children. In the summer of 2018, Mariem Sanoe was one of the panelists, as the daughter of an African immigrant mother who arrived in the USA from Liberia at eight years old in 1999. Ms. Sanoe spoke passionately about her experiences as a child of African immigrants in the public school system. What happens when a young immigrant child arrives in America without speaking a single word of English? How do childhood trauma, bullying, and cultural isolation shape a person's future? More importantly, how can those painful experiences become the foundation for helping others?In this powerful episode of the Pansa Pansa Podcast, I sat down with Mariem Sanoe, CEO and Founder of Let Us Talk About IT Coaching and a Youth Family Service Life Development Coach with African Immigrant Family Services (AIFS) in Nebraska.Mariem shares her remarkable journey of immigrating to the United States with her family at a young age. Entering the American school system without understanding English, she faced enormous challenges—from struggling to communicate with teachers and classmates to experiencing bullying, exclusion, and discrimination. Like many immigrant children, she often felt isolated while trying to adapt to an unfamiliar culture.Rather than allowing those experiences to define her, Mariem transformed them into a lifelong mission of empowering others.Since 2016, she has devoted herself to studying human behavior and interpersonal relationships, mentoring people from diverse backgrounds, faiths, professions, and cultures. Through her coaching practice, she equips individuals with practical tools to build confidence, develop leadership skills, strengthen relationships, and unlock their full potential.During our conversation, we explore:Mariem's immigration journey and the emotional challenges of adapting to a new country.Learning English while navigating an unfamiliar educational system.The lasting impact of bullying on immigrant children.Why many immigrant students suffer in silence.How language barriers create isolation for both children and parents.Why some African immigrant youth become vulnerable to gangs while searching for acceptance, belonging, and protection.The critical role parents play in recognizing emotional and behavioral changes in their children.Practical strategies parents can use to advocate for their children within American schools.The importance of building resilience, confidence, and emotional intelligence in immigrant youth.The life-changing work being done by African Immigrant Family Services (AIFS) in supporting families throughout Nebraska.Mariem's personal mission to help African immigrants thrive rather than simply survive.This conversation offers valuable insights for immigrant parents, educators, community leaders, youth mentors, and anyone interested in understanding the immigrant experience. Mariem's story reminds us that our greatest struggles can become the very tools we use to uplift others.If you enjoy meaningful conversations about immigration, parenting, identity, leadership, mental health, and community empowerment, be sure to subscribe, like, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.To further contact Ms. Mariem Sanoe, please go to her website @ https://www.letustalkcoaching.com/