A girl born in Monrovia would become a first for an entire continent.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was born on October 29, 1938, in Monrovia, Liberia. She studied economics, including at Harvard, and built a career in finance and international development.

In 2006 she took office as Liberia's president, becoming Africa's first elected female head of state as the country rebuilt after years of civil war. In 2011 she shared the Nobel Peace Prize for her work for women's rights and peace-building.

Her path showed that the highest office was open to women across Africa.

Who is a leader whose story you think deserves to be better known?

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