Umra Omar received her bachelor’s in neuroscience and psychology at Oberlin in 2006. After receiving a master’s degree and starting a career in Washington, D.C., Omar returned to her native country and during a visit to her childhood community on the islands of the Kenya-Somalia border, she learned about a medical aid project that had been abandoned because of the security concerns. That’s when Omar founded Safari Doctors, an initiative that provides free basic (and potentially life-saving) medical services, youth community health trainings and civic engagement for women. In 2016 Omar was selected as a CNN Hero, and in 2017, she was recognised as the 2017 UN Person of the Year.