Throughout my years living under the Qaddafi regime, I dreamed of changing my life and personifying the change I wanted to see for my country. I had many ideas and plans, but circumstances often made them seem impossible. I always had a sense of what was needed—both for myself and for my country—but I felt imprisoned.

In February 2012, I was set free when the grip of Qaddafi’s regime slipped from my city of Benghazi. My dreams began coming to fruition quickly, and my life changed completely.

While many had believed that Libyan women were very traditional, with no role in society other than as a wife or mother, they began playing a huge role in supporting the revolution. As a single mother of two girls and a professor of criminal law at Benghazi University, I would become one of those women.

Previously, during the many dark years, protests were unthinkable. Yet one day, suddenly we heard demonstrations taking place in front of the main Benghazi court, the location that became the focal point of the Libyan revolution as citizens joined the protesting lawyers and judges.

At first I was skeptical that this would be the chance Libyans were waiting for to change our future – it seemed like such a daunting challenge and an impossible dream. We had been living under a dictatorship, where, day by day, we had forgotten our rights as people. Despite living in a country rich with resources and potential, Libya’s small population was mired in poverty.

I found myself joining my college friend at the court, where the opposition was gathering, without doubt or fear. Suddenly, I realized this was my chance to fulfill my duty to my country. As I approached the doors of the Supreme Court, they opened and I was welcomed into a world where the fundamental issue was trust. Because Benghazi is a small city and most people know each other, everyone knew who had been part of the Qaddafi regime and who was joining the revolution.

There were only a few of us at the court at first, five women and seven men, each of us committing ourselves to working around the clock without any break. The desire to do something constructive was overwhelming. I started by making signs in support of the revolution that we handed out to protestors.

We were trying to encourage the protesters with leaflets and statements explaining the importance of being involved in this critical moment.

Soon, I found myself working with two other women on media issues. I was one of the first women who went to the local radio station in Benghazi, hoping the management would allow us to communicate with the Libyan people everywhere. Despite the risk, I believed in the cause.

We soon started broadcasting. One after another on February 21, 2011, three other women and I repeated on air: “Libya al-hurra. Free Libya.” With tears in my eyes, I recognized the historical significance of the moment, and I was just one part of it. I became the first woman to read an opposition statement over Libyan radio. We delivered messages about the distribution of weapons and highlighted centers where supplies could be dropped off for opposition forces.

After our first broadcast, our small team became responsible for outreach with the international media. We were constantly updating foreign news outlets about the situation on the ground and exactly what measures Qaddafi’s regime was taking against the Libyan people. We sent videos to journalists with first-hand accounts and often were called for interviews, including for television news programs.

The exposure led us to work directly with the opposition National Council. Our first collaboration was to organize the council’s first press conference as the National Transitional Council (NTC). When that was successful, we organized the second and began corresponding with the local and international media on behalf of the NTC. We became the first women to write in a Libyan newspaper.

For a while, I worked with a colleague in the darkness of the Supreme Court building in Benghazi under the protection of volunteer security officers. In April 2011, I was selected to be the head of the Public Engagement Unit, the official liaison between the NTC and the Libyan people.

This period was one of the most amazing times in my life. The role was not only a new experience and a challenge for me, but a completely foreign concept for the Libyan people. In a flurry of activity, we began to use the tools of democracy. Seminars and workshops were held with the NTC and the public to discuss issues such as how the NTC should act, the difference between the NTC and local councils, the challenges the NTC was facing, and how the NTC could communicate with the international community. The turnout for the seminars was always strong and engagement was continuous.

The unit organized the first Libyan civil society fair in May 2011. For the first time, Libyans were able to familiarize themselves with the role civil society could play in the revolution. Many members of the NTC attended, as did international organizations and diplomats including the French, British, and American ambassadors. To the surprise of many, the strongest and most renowned organizations were led by women, many of whom had supported the front lines of the revolution, providing critical food, supplies, and medicine or communicating with the media. We held a second fair in July.

Of course, success did not come without opposition. Convincing NTC members to participate in the process was extremely hard. It was the first time in 42 years that the public could participate in governing, so resistance was strong at times. NTC members appearing in the public sphere also feared for the safety of their family members living in other parts of the country still under the Qaddafi regime.

I found myself often explaining the importance of engaging with the public. This would not only build the legitimacy of and respect for the NTC in the international community, but also build the understanding of a democratic Libyan state.

After all that, the death of American Ambassador Christopher Stevens was a shock. Libyans were extremely sad and disappointed, especially after the noble and supportive role he played during the time of the revolution. We all believed something ought to be done to let the world know this murder did not represent either the Islamic tradition or the Libyan people. I became a key organizer of this effort with a group of colleagues, most of whom were women.

We decided to protest against the militias, in support of peace and justice. The day after Ambassador Stevens’ death, we went to downtown Benghazi to protest with leaflets and signs in Arabic and English. We shouted slogans that this was not what Libyans were fighting for. We called for justice, peace, respect for other religions and people.

We started as a group of fifty, but quickly grew in number as others heard of the protest from Facebook and the local media.

It was at this demonstration that the most famous picture of women during the revolution was taken. By the next day, more than half a million people had taken to the streets. We had organized the biggest demonstration of people in Libya under the banner “Save Benghazi.”

As a result, the National Congress decided to dismantle all illegal militias and integrate them into the body of the national army. This was one of the biggest success stories illustrating women’s role in the revolution, reaching even President Obama, who echoed our efforts, slogans, and speeches in his comments on the situation in Benghazi.

Soon, I became the Country Representative for the United States Institute of Peace. Fulfilling my dream, I now work to transform my own life and the Libyan experience by trying to help resolve the conflict in Libya. We have held workshops across Libya on topics such as developing a constitution, conflict management and the rule of law. So I’ve been able to help my beloved Libya, even traveling alone throughout the region.

I have been hosted at many international conferences and featured as an expert panelist. Among the conferences I attended was the first women’s conference in Libya during which I presented a comparison of the rights of Libyan women before and after the revolution from a legal perspective. I am now able to fully share my story as a Libyan activist and, I hope, motivate others.

I would have never thought myself capable of succeeding in such a position.

Women played a critical role in supporting the revolution, and the Libyan people showed astonishing capacity for promoting democratic change and peaceful transition. Women have filled much of the enormous gap left by the fall of the regime, from holding leadership positions in civil society to taking office in the new government.

Still, it is apparent that women groups still need capacity building and knowledge. As they patiently fight for rights, freedoms, and a paradigm shift that welcomes such changes, women will continue to be visible as leaders in Libyan society.

Tell us about a remarkable transformation you’ve had during a similar transition to democracy by submitting your comments below.

Najla Elmangoush is the country representative in Libya for USIP’s North Africa Program.