The Road is Yours Too

With her hands steady onthe wheel and the wind tugging at the edges of her checkered keffiyeh, SamiraSiam looked out at the road ahead. This wasn’t just a vehicle—it was a dreamshe had driven forward, despite every obstacle in her path.  

Over 30 years ago, inthe heart of Gaza, a young Samira fell in love with driving. But for a woman,especially one dreaming of teaching others or handling a truck, the road wasn’topen. People doubted her. They whispered that it wasn’t a job for women.  

But Samira didn’t askfor permission. She signed up for a driving instructor’s course and became thefirst woman in Gaza to teach driving—then the first to drive a truck.  

“At first, no one tookme seriously,” she recalls, watching young women today take the driver’s seatwith newfound confidence. “But I knew I belonged here.”  

Word spread. Women fromacross Gaza sought her out, preferring to learn from someone who understoodtheir hesitation, their fear. She didn’t just teach them how to turn thewheel—she taught them how to take control.

She pushed further,earning licenses for buses and ambulances, breaking barriers that few women haddared to approach.  

“Driving started as apassion,” she says with a proud smile. “Then it became my profession. Now, it’smy purpose.”  

In her driving school,young women no longer hesitate. They grip the wheel, ready to move forward.Just like Samira did decades ago.  

Looking at the roadstretching ahead, she offers one last piece of advice: "Never let anyonetell you this isn’t your place. The road is yours too."