The Tao Te Ching asserts that “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” In Soumya Boutin’s case, that journey actually began with the halting steps of her brother, Mohamed. As a young boy, “Little Mo,” as he is affectionately known, was terribly impaired by an extreme case of club feet. Through a fateful encounter with a visiting physician, he was chosen to receive treatment for his condition in the United States. This decision unwittingly set his sister Soumya on a journey as well, one that would carry her from Morocco’s Atlas Mountains to the heart of the Berkshires and beyond. It’s a journey that continues to unfold, propelled forward by Soumya’s drive and determination as well as her fierce commitment to Soumya’s Journey, the eponymous nonprofit she founded in 2021.

To better understand the trajectory of the story, let us take a step back to October of 2010, when Great Barrington, Massachusetts-based orthopedic surgeon Pier Boutin—the woman who would become Soumya’s adoptive mother—travelled to Morocco’s Atlas Mountains in search of respite after a draining humanitarian mission to earthquake-shattered Haiti. “My work in Haiti had been heart-wrenching, and I was having a hard time adjusting after returning to the States,” recalls Dr. Boutin. “In an attempt to help me escape my sorrow, a girlfriend invited me to join her on a trip to Morocco.” 

That invitation proved life-changing, both for Boutin and for Soumya and her family, as it was then that Dr. Boutin first met Little Mo. “Mo had severe club feet and was walking around on his ankles,” says Dr. Boutin. “I couldn’t do anything for him in Morocco, but I knew that with proper medical treatment, his condition could be addressed, so I took him back to the States for surgery.”  This intervention proved both successful and revelatory, as Dr. Boutin reveals in her 2022 book, The Little Mo Effect: A surgeon’s compassion for a charismatic Moroccan boy transforms many lives—including her own. 

During this period, Dr. Boutin’s relationship with Soumya grew as well. “I was bringing Little Mo back to the States every year for a visit, and when I got to know Soumya, I decided to invite her, too,” she explains. After several such visits, Boutin continues, Soumya realized what the possibilities for her life could be. “Girls from mountain villages like Soumya’s seldom earn more than a 6th-grade education, frequently marry by the age of 13, and in many instances have children themselves before they reach adulthood,” she explains. “So, when Soumya asked if she could come to the US and study, I said yes.” 

 

 

Boutin offered Soumya an education and a home—ultimately formalizing the arrangement through adoption—and Soumya ran headlong into the opportunity. “Shortly after moving to the States, I remember Mom telling me that I could be a doctor or an astronaut or an engineer, and something just clicked,” she recalls in a burst of enthusiasm. “I realized I could do anything I set my mind to.” 

Initially, Soumya attended the local high school, but Boutin soon realized her daughter needed more. “I thought she deserved a more rigorous education and more encouragement in a woman-focused environment, so I sent her to Emma Willard,” Boutin observes, “and she blossomed.” Soumya agrees. “Being around supportive women who want the best for you is incredibly empowering.” 

At Emma Willard School, Soumya truly hit her stride. Energized by her environment, she leveraged opportunities to engage at every turn, participating in choir, UNICEF Club, Amnesty International Club, and the Muslim Student Union. These activities encouraged and inspired her, as did interactions with classmates and faculty. Indeed, Soumya says she is particularly grateful to two faculty members who proved especially influential, particularly with respect to her Signature Project, which subsequently evolved into her nonprofit Soumya’s Journey. “My French teacher Éloïse Bérerd helped me navigate cultural differences while establishing my nonprofit and consistently encouraged me to keep going,” she recalls, “and my Signature Project advisor Gemma Halfi (Emma’s associate director of equity and inclusion) provided invaluable insight and connected me to many resources that helped me shape my work.”

It was her Signature Project, continues Soumya, that gave her the time, structure, and guidance needed to launch Soumya’s Journey, the nonprofit she founded to empower women in her home community in Morocco. “Were it not for the project, I do not think I would have been able to continue with creating my nonprofit,” she observes. “For my project, I focused on establishing the organization and managing functions like forming a board, creating mission and vision statements, and running meetings. The Signature program provided the foundation that made it all possible.” 

Soumya formally launched the nonprofit in 2021 at age 16 and secured 501 (c) (3) status a year later. The initiative continues to evolve, guided always by Soumya’s deep-seated commitment to having an impact in her homeland while continuing to increase her own knowledge and experience. Now a sophomore in the honors program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she is working toward a double major in political science and journalism and a minor in French. She’s also honing her nonprofit chops, most recently through a 2025 spring semester internship at The Washington Center, a DC-based nonprofit dedicated to providing individuals with educational experiences that will prepare them to work in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The internship has been exhilarating, says Soumya, and has only deepened her commitment to making a difference through Soumya’s Journey. “I’m still experimenting with the best way to serve my community, but I’m learning,” she observes. “I’m trying different projects and doing a lot of research.” 

 

Among her initial ideas: building an all-girls high school or trade school in her community to educate young women like herself. “Soumya recognizes the importance of education and the freedom and independence it has given her, and she wants to share that,” observes Dr. Boutin. “But she also understands that education without opportunity isn’t sustainable. If the nonprofit educates these young women and there are no jobs for them to step into, there will be a big brain drain from the mountains into the cities as they leave their communities to seek new opportunities. That’s counterproductive. Soumya’s goal is not only to empower these women through education but also through affording them a sense of financial security within their mountain communities.”

This desire, says Soumya, led her to launch a Women’s Cooperative. “We started the co-op in one location to bolster the local economy, but it quickly became apparent that the women needed to be educated to run their businesses, create budgets, etc. At the same time, they need an incentive to pursue an education, so it’s challenging. Right now, a big component of my own development process is learning how to work with a community and encourage them to accept the help.”

To further broaden her nonprofit’s reach, Soumya has also leveraged partnerships with existing programs, including the MoonCatcher Project, an initiative dedicated to addressing menstrual and reproductive health issues. In the summer of 2023, she personally distributed 150 pounds of clothes and 100 reusable menstrual kits to female villagers in the Atlas Mountains.

In September of that year, fate delivered another opportunity for Soumya’s Journey to help when a 6.8 magnitude earthquake leveled Soumya’s home village in the Atlas Mountains. Knowing that deliveries of food and clothing were critical, she quickly organized a drive to collect donations, then travelled to Morocco to deliver over 400 pounds of desperately needed medical supplies, winter clothing, and the like; assess the damage in person; and formulate a plan to provide further support in the months to follow. Her mother accompanied her to provide medical assistance. Two years later, says Soumya, the recovery work continues. “The Moroccan government has allocated funding to support the villages that were damaged, so we’re now trying to assess where the aid is needed most and help to direct that funding as best we can,” she explains.

Soumya is also navigating the challenge of returning to her community as an outsider delivering aid rather than as a resident, adds Dr. Boutin. “At this point, many in the community are looking at Soumya more as a foreigner than as a local, and that’s a challenge she’ll need to overcome,” she says.

Soumya concedes the learning curve in running a nonprofit is steep, but she remains optimistic. “Mom is a very organized person, and she’s guided me with advice and financial support,” she says. “I’ve also spent many hours on Google and YouTube educating myself on how to start and run a nonprofit. It’s a lot of trial and error, but I’m finding my way.”

“I’ve always felt that Soumya should give back to her community, but she’s really taken the idea and run with it,” says Dr. Boutin. “We’re also fortunate that our home community of Great Barrington is full of generous, giving individuals who have extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, so she’s received a lot of valuable advice and assistance from friends as well.”

The journey is challenging, Soumya admits, but she meets each moment with optimism and an irrepressible will. “I grew up in a male-dominated environment, so when I first came to the United States, it was hard for me to adjust to the idea that men weren’t inherently better,” she observes. “But my time at Emma made me realize my worth. Being around supportive women who want the best for you is transformative. I gained confidence and learned that my voice and opinion are valuable. Now, when I’m moving about in the real world, I don’t worry about people’s misogynistic tendencies, I just do what I need to do.”

Her mother agrees. “During her time at Emma, I watched Soumya gain self-confidence and grow dramatically,” says Dr. Boutin. “The school sets high expectations for its students, and the quality of education is outstanding. It was an excellent fit for her.”

“I learned a lot at Emma, and I’m still learning,” concludes Soumya. “Right now, I’m thinking that after college I will pursue a master’s degree or enter law school. Long term, I see myself working for an international organization or in a diplomatic role. Whatever path I take, I want to work with underserved communities and get people the help they need.” Despite her youth, Soumya radiates confidence, and one feels certain she will realize her goals. “Everyone at Emma Willard believed in me,” she concludes, “and that was inspiring.”

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This piece was written for the Spring/Summer 2025 issue of Signature magazine.

Story by Lori Ferguson

Photography by Connor McLaren