Anta (Gueye) James, MA ’04, recently won Lifetime Television’s national essay contest encouraging women to make their dreams a reality.

Contestants were asked to answer the question, “What is your life long dream and what steps must you take to achieve it?” In her winning essay, James shared how her experiences as a child in Senegal shaped her dream of becoming a doctor and inspired her to help others through her work.

“Growing up in Senegal, I saw poverty and sickness coexist with glamour and flashy cars. Images of sick children, ailing mothers and unemployed fathers have always haunted me,” James said.

A health program manager in Jacksonville, Florida, James said she looks forward to going to medical school to become a physician and work in preventive medicine to fight infectious diseases. “I would like to contribute my skills to international efforts to reduce global poverty and strengthen the health care and access of the most vulnerable people in developing nations, mainly in Africa,” James said.

Her prize included a trip to Los Angeles to attend the season finale of “American Idol®.” The essay contest was launched in conjunction with the Lifetime Original Movie about “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino, The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairy Tale. The contest was part of a public service initiative to raise awareness of the issues that Fantasia and many women experience–such as low self-esteem and low literacy skills–and to encourage viewers to make a difference in their own communities.