By Dr. Schola Matovu | Nursing Professor | Nurse Scientist | Director of Global Learning and Engagement
August 10, 2026
When people ask me about leadership, they often assume it began when I became a faculty member, launched a nonprofit, led a research team, or joined prestigious leadership programs.
The truth is that my understanding of leadership has been shaped by many women throughout my life.
I have been fortunate to be mentored by extraordinary women in nursing, academia, research, and community leadership. Each of them helped shape who I am as a person, educator, scientist, nurse, and leader.
Of course, my very first mentor was my grandmother.
Long before I understood what mentorship meant, I was learning from her example. Her values, wisdom, strength, and commitment to serving others became part of my foundation. As I moved through different stages of education and professional development, other mentors built upon that foundation. Some taught me what to do. Others taught me what not to do. All of them contributed to my growth.
What I didn’t fully appreciate at the time was that leadership development is not a destination.
It is a lifelong journey.
The Leadership Journey I Didn’t Expect
In 2021, I had the opportunity to participate in the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.
At the time, I entered the program with a specific goal. I wanted to strengthen my leadership skills to advance the work of Nurse-to-Nurse Global Initiative, the nonprofit organization I cofounded to support nursing workforce leadership and professional development in low resource settings.
Like many professionals, I expected to learn practical leadership skills.
And I did.
But what I gained was much deeper than that.
WomenLift Health challenged me to think about leadership through three interconnected dimensions:
Leading Self
Leading With Others
Leading Change
At first, these concepts seemed straightforward.
But as I moved through the program, I realized that meaningful leadership begins with understanding yourself.
Your values.
Your purpose.
Your strengths.
Your lived experiences.
Your voice.
One of the most transformative lessons was recognizing that I did not need to become someone else to be an effective leader. My experiences as a nurse, immigrant, educator, researcher, granddaughter, nonprofit founder, and woman were not obstacles to leadership.
They were sources of leadership.
That realization changed everything.
Leadership Is Not About Climbing Alone
One of the most enduring lessons I carried from WomenLift Health was inspired by the words of civil rights leader Mary Church Terrell:
“Lifting as we climb.”
For many years, I viewed leadership through achievement.
Earning degrees.
Building programs.
Publishing research.
Securing opportunities.
Reaching milestones.
Those accomplishments matter.
But leadership becomes far more meaningful when it is no longer centered on individual success.
Leadership becomes transformative when it begins creating opportunities for others.
Today, I intentionally mentor students, support emerging scholars, connect colleagues to opportunities, and create spaces where others can grow and thrive.
I have learned that some of the most important work leaders do is not visible on a curriculum vitae.
It happens in conversations.
Introductions.
Encouragement.
Advocacy.
Sponsorship.
Opening doors.
Sometimes the greatest impact we have comes from helping someone else recognize their potential before they can see it themselves.
The Next Chapter: Learning to Lead Change
In 2024, I was selected to join the prestigious and competitive Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators.
This experience has built upon the foundation established through WomenLift Health while challenging me to think even more broadly about leadership, innovation, and systems change.
The fellowship has reinforced an important lesson:
Complex problems cannot be solved by individual leaders working in isolation.
Today’s challenges require collaboration across disciplines, sectors, organizations, and communities.
The work I do with grandparent caregivers, community partners, students, researchers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers continuously reminds me that sustainable change depends on collective leadership.
It requires people who can bring others together around a shared vision.
People who can listen before leading.
People who understand that innovation is rarely the result of a single person with a brilliant idea. More often, it emerges from collective wisdom, partnership, and shared purpose.
The fellowship continues to challenge me to think differently about influence, systems, and leadership.
More importantly, it reminds me that leadership development never ends.
Leadership Is a Lifelong Journey
One of the greatest misconceptions about leadership is that there is a moment when you finally arrive.
A degree.
A title.
A promotion.
A fellowship.
An award.
But leadership does not work that way.
Every role introduces new challenges.
Every transition requires new skills.
Every season of life presents new opportunities for growth.
The longer I lead, the more I realize that leadership is less about having all the answers and more about remaining committed to learning.
Learning from mentors.
Learning from colleagues.
Learning from communities.
Learning from successes.
Learning from mistakes.
Most importantly, learning how to bring others along with us.
The Leadership Legacy I Hope to Leave
When I reflect on my journey thus far, I think about the many women who invested in me.
Some are formal mentors.
Others were role models who are no longer with us, yet their legacy endures. I stand on their shoulders, benefiting from the paths they forged, the barriers they broke, and the possibilities they imagined for those who would follow.
Each helped shape the leader I am becoming.
Today, I feel a responsibility to do the same for others.
If there is one lesson that connects my experiences through WomenLift Health, the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship, and my broader leadership journey, it is this:
Leadership is not about how far we climb. It is about how many people we help rise with us.
The journey continues.
And perhaps that is exactly the point.
Reflection Question Who helped shape your leadership journey, and whose path are you intentionally helping make easier today?