Jamala Osman tells her life story: overcoming challenging circumstances to take action and charge of her future. She describes her journey of ‘spiralling into control’ and how music helped her pursue and find her alternative life. Jamala is a 24-year-old social entrepreneur and former Bank Manager at Barclays plc. She was one of the youngest ever bank managers in the country and was tasked with running her first branch at the age of 21. Growing up in Ilford (east London), Jamala grew up surrounded by gang culture and violence. Her mother died when she was 14 and she was thrown out of her father’s house. Soon after, depression and anxiety kicked in. Jamala eventually took back control and was compelled to make a change. The dramatic turnaround in her life has inspired her to create pathways and programmes for other individuals struggling with their starts in life and works with educational institutions and corporations to help break down barriers. In her spare time, she mentors young people through her two greatest passions – sport and music. Jamala writes and performs spoken word and rap. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
