Soukeyna Diouf

Soukeyna Diouf is a Los Angeles-based model and healthcare advocate, originally raised in Senegal. Her academic background includes studying biochemistry, which provided a foundation for her interest in public health. While volunteering in hospitals in Senegal, she observed the challenges faced by malaria patients who lacked health insurance, an experience that significantly influenced her future advocacy. This led her to focus on health care reform. Diouf later became a United Nations Foundation (UNF) Nothing But Nets Global Health Champion in 2021, leveraging her growing public profile to raise awareness about health care issues in Africa and to inspire women to engage in global impact.

Diouf’s advocacy extends to gender equality, where she actively works to address and dismantle sex bias against girls and women. She believes that being a girl or woman should not limit one’s aspirations or achievements, and she champions the idea that women are essential to societal progress. Her motivation for this work stems from the desire to honor past trailblazing women and to enable future generations of women to achieve their ‘firsts’. Diouf confronts challenges such as the societal stigma of women as the ‘weaker sex’ and the dismissal of her perspectives as a young woman. Through her efforts, she has observed increased confidence in women to challenge gender biases in various environments, from employment to personal life decisions. Diouf also notes a wider global awareness of gender inequality, transitioning it from private discussions to mainstream discourse, and highlights increased opportunities for women in higher education as a sign of progress.

Her commitment to action is particularly strong within the home space, recognizing it as a foundational environment for a woman’s development. Diouf acknowledges her own experiences growing up in a Senegalese and Muslim household, where gender biases initially restricted her leadership ambitions, despite often holding responsibilities. She advocates for challenging implicit biases against women across all genders and urges individuals to consider the role of gender in their judgments. Diouf has also used her modeling career to promote brands that align with her advocacy. For example, she participated in Hourglass Cosmetics’ Unlocked Satin Creme Lipstick campaign, which supported United to Beat Malaria with a portion of its revenue. This initiative provided bed nets and other supplies. Diouf’s personal experience with malaria as a teenager, narrowly overcoming a severe case due to access to healthcare, underscores her dedication to this cause and her effort to address global health disparities.