When Aisatou Toure met R&B star Mary J. Blige, they had a heart-to-heart talk about the importance of self-esteem and confidence — two qualities the Harlem teen seeks to encourage in the younger students she mentors.
Aisatou, 16, who is a junior this year at the School of the Future HS, regularly returns to her middle school, KIPP: Star College Prep Charter, where she organizes other alumni to mentor students, tutors those who are struggling academically, helps teachers create extracurricular events like dance and theater, and encourages students to strive for college.
She especially enjoys talking to girls about aiming high and having confidence in themselves.
“I just want to let them know females can do anything,” said Aisatou. “I want to tell them to just believe in yourself. Anything is possible. You have to have the drive and motivation for it.”
Aisatou met Blige when the teen took part in a 3E workshop — “Empowerment through Education and Encouragement” — offered by the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, which was co-founded by the singer.
“She’s one of the young ladies that stand out,” said FFAWN’s Mari Moss-Yawn, who nominated Aisatou for a Liberty Medal in the Young Heart category.
Aisatou hopes to go to Africa and help out in impoverished villages where the “people have no clothes and no schools.”
Ultimately, she plans to become a forensic scientist.
rita.delfiner@nypost.com