Rukayya Iyayi holds a master´s degree in conflict resolution and has ten years of experience in the tertiary education sector. Currently, Rukayya is the student affairs manager at Baze University Abuja, and the founder of the MAQ Foundation. She started the foundation in 2015 for substance abuse prevention and mental health awareness in schools and communities in northern Nigeria. Rukayya is also a head counselor for the Breath of Freedom Foundation, a highly innovative program focusing on mental health awareness among prisoners in Abuja. Rukayya´s passion for conflict resolution has also found expression through her work on gender issues, specifically on the topic of female oppression in northern Nigeria. On completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Rukayya hopes to have gained more significant insights into her core areas of work that will help her enhance women's voices, agency, and self-worth through compassion, love, and dignity.