Our journey has been anything but ordinary. Through every step, we've focused on staying true to our values and making space for thoughtful, lasting work.

Our Story

Own Your Ase (OYA) was born during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—a time when social isolation was at an all-time high and families, especially women and girls, were carrying unprecedented emotional weight.

Founder Mama Ngina had already spent over a decade serving Baltimore’s West Side community as a co-founder of Nsoroma Academy for Holistic Thought, an independent school where she witnessed firsthand the power of culturally grounded education and community-centered care. As her focus shifted more intentionally toward girls’ development, parents and community members began asking her to support their daughters through rites of passage—especially girls navigating trauma, identity, and the challenges of growing up in uncertain times.

As Mama Ngina responded to this call, a deeper truth emerged: while girls were healing, growing, and finding their voice, mothers were asking, “What about us?” Women longed for the same spaces of reflection, restoration, and cultural grounding that their daughters were receiving.

That call deepened during Mama Ngina’s spiritual journey to Osogbo, Nigeria, where she was initiated as a consecrated Yoruba priest of the Orisa Oya and received the name Iya Olorisa Oyakemi Ajala. During this initiation, she was given a clear charge from Ifa to foster healing, transformation, and leadership among women. Drawing from her initiation teachings, her own rites of passage through the Egbe Moremi Sacred Women Society of Oyotunji Village, and over 20 years of sisterhood within Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Mama Ngina knew it was time to build something enduring.

This vision became Egbe Oya Rites of Passage, which began with a small cohort of women during the pandemic and has since grown into multiple cohorts supporting women through intentional, culturally grounded rites and leadership development.

As the work expanded, Mama Ngina recognized the limits of doing everything “boots on the ground.” To grow sustainably, increase resources, and deepen partnerships, she committed to strengthening the organizational foundation. Her acceptance into the Johns Hopkins University Institute of Urban Health Bunting Neighborhood Leadership Program proved transformational—providing the space to unify years of programming, community engagement, and vision under one cohesive brand.

From that process, Own Your Ase (OYA) was formally established—bringing together girls’ leadership circles, rites of passage, STEM education, wellness initiatives, and community partnerships into a single, mission-driven ecosystem. Today, OYA includes more than 10 programs and initiatives, supported by multi-year grant funding and over 30 community, corporate, and university partners.

At its core, Own Your Ase stands on the integrity, service, and willpower of Iya Ngina—whose name means “the one who serves.” We remain committed to honoring what women asked for, what elders have blessed, and what our ancestors have ordained—continuing the work of healing, empowerment, and collective transformation for girls and women.