How Itto Outini Empowered Herself through Hard Work, Self-Love, and Belief in Her Dreams

By Natalie Frine

Once you know who Itto Outini is, you’ll have a hard time believing that she grew up in rural Morocco where there was no electricity or running water, much less opportunities for women and girls. But she did. “Three things got me where I am today,” said Itto. “Hard work, loving myself, and believing in my dreams.”

Today, Itto Outini is a journalist and a Fulbright scholar with her own international media platform, The DateKeepers. However, before she was 17 years old, she couldn’t even read. She’d never gone to school or learned any skills except how to raise crops, do chores, and take care of farm animals. None of her relatives or neighbors had TVs or radios, so her only way to hear about the world was through oral storytelling. Storytelling was a very important part of her culture. Itto grew up loving stories, but she also noticed that all the stories about women and girls ended with them getting married. She wasn’t interested in marriage and farm life. She didn’t know what a “journalist” was, or that she would become one someday, but she wanted to go on adventures, explore the world, and leave a legacy behind.

Then, when Itto was 17, tragedy struck. One of her relatives blinded her and abandoned her in the hospital, and she became homeless. She couldn’t go back to her family, so instead, she found refuge in education. That was where she learned what journalism was, thanks to one teacher who gave her a radio and another who read her stories from the newspapers.

Even though she was homeless, Itto was eager to learn. “I survived because of stories,” she said. “I told myself the story of how I would escape from homelessness and find a better life. Then I made it come true.”

By 2017, Itto had graduated from high school, escaped from homelessness, and attended two universities in Morocco. That was the year that her life changed again. She was awarded the prestigious Fulbright scholarship to go to America and study in a master’s program.

“For me, the most important thing was always education,” said Itto. “If you want to change the world, you have to start with your own life. If you want to change your life, start with yourself. If you want to change yourself, start with your education. Education is like an investment. Invest in yourself. Believe in yourself. Love yourself. Even if your family never loved you, that doesn’t mean you just give up. No! Love yourself! That was my first step to finding happiness and having a better life.”

In the United States, Itto got her first computer and her first smartphone. She was also introduced to assistive technology. Even though she’d grown up with no technology, she soon realized that she loved her devices and was excited to use them to learn. She found technology extremely empowering.

However, not even technology could replace the power of friendship. At the University of Arkansas, she found new friends who helped her get used to the new culture and supported her as she earned her MA degree. “One thing I learned from being homeless,” she said, “and I still believe it, is that there are more good in the world than bad. A lot of people have hurt me, but many more people have helped me. If there weren’t good people in the world, I wouldn’t be alive today.”

The University of Arkansas wasn’t just where Itto got her MA. It was also where she found love. “I was never interested in getting married,” she said. “I’d seen my cousins forced to marry when they were too young. I promised myself I’d never let that happen to me.” But now she’d reached a very different point in life. “I’d gotten my education,” she said. “I’d earned my independence. I was making decisions for myself. I’d even learned to love myself. I decided I was ready to love someone else, too.”

When they got married, Itto’s husband, Mekiya, took her last name. They are now Itto and Mekiya Outini. “My last name used to be Walters,” said Mekiya, “but that didn’t have much of a ring to it. ‘Outini’ matches my first name much better. No one can pronounce either of them! If you want to try,” he added, “‘Mekiya’ rhymes with ‘papaya.’”

In 2023, the Outinis launched The DateKeepers together. Their vision for the platform is to “provide opportunities to journalists and nonfiction writers: publication, constructive feedback, and long-term mentorship within the framework of an international creative community.”

“Writers are tired of paying for rejections,” said Mekiya. “We’re offering a different model, one that will help writers develop their voices, find an audience, and hone their skills.”

The DateKeepers also “reject both the negativity bias that permeates much of the media and the toxic positivity bias that permeates much of the culture” and “recenter the resilience, creativity, passion, and imperfection of individual human beings.”

“Every month,” said Itto, “we publish at least one profile of someone who came from a really hard background and is doing amazing work, but not getting much recognition from the media. When I was homeless, I wanted to see role models like that, but I never found them. Later, I wanted to tell my story and inspire others, but it took a long time for journalists to be interested in me. We’re building this platform so that others don’t have to wait so long.”

In addition to The DateKeepers, the Outinis are co-authoring Itto’s memoir, Blindness is the Light of My Life. The book will reveal how Itto’s lifelong love of storytelling has become the key to her success, alongside hard work, self-love, and belief in herself.

“If I can overcome everything I’ve overcome and still be happy, positive, excited for the future,” said Itto, “there’s no reason for you to give up. Love yourself, believe in yourself, keep working hard, surround yourself with people who believe in you, and you can make your dreams come true.”