Meghan Markle Talks Gender Equality & Education During Powerful Speech - WATCH!

Get ready for some MAJOR inspo from Meghan Markle, y’all!!

As the royal tour gets ready to come to a close, The Duchess of Sussex stepped out in a chic tan trench dress on Tuesday morning to speak about the importance of gender equality and education while visiting the University of Johannesburg.

Ch-ch-check out photos from her uni visit (below):

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This morning, The Duchess of Sussex went back to college! Joining students and educators at The University of Johannesburg The Duchess was able to announce a new series of gender grants from the Association of Commonwealth Universities, of which she is patron. She was also able to announce four new scholarships to help students study in different commonwealth countries, allowing cross cultural understanding and an opportunity to deepen their educational studies abroad. One of the recipients of these grants shared his story of growing up on farmland in Kenya, where he paid for his education trading vegetables to cover schooling costs (cauliflower leaves to be exact!) He is now doing a research study on carcinogens in his country, its link to cancer – his work is helping to change practices and to save lives. The Duchess was so moved by the work being done across the education sector and to talk with such like-minded thinkers about the importance of access to education and the support needed internally. When the round table discussion this morning moved to the challenges faced in this sector and how daunting it can all seem, The Duchess said, “Sometimes access to education can seem so big, you wonder where to even begin? So you begin with one student, or one school, you simply begin. And that’s when we see change.” She continued by referencing a Martin Luther King Jr quote: “Take the first step… you don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Since @the_acu_official Gender Grants were launch in 2016, 28 universities in 17 countries have benefited with a minimum of 600 beneficiaries participating in workshops supported by the grants. #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica Photo ©️ PA images

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Oct 1, 2019 at 3:26am PDT

While visiting the school, Miz Markle announced a new series of grants from the Association of Commonwealth Universities, of which she is a royal patron. The new scholarships will allow students to study in different commonwealth countries, deepening their educational studies abroad.

The 38-year-old recalled her own days attending Northwestern University, where she graduated from in 2003, and how “families chipping in” helped finance her own education:

“Families chipping in, scholarship, financially all those things that were the reason that I was able to attend university. But at the same level, you need to have that kind of support on the inside for educators to be able to give as much as they can back to those who are in the educational system.”

Archie Harrison‘s momma continued (below):

“The goal here is to be able to have gender equality—to be able to support women as they are working in research and higher education roles and also to be able to have workshops to convene things that are really helping people understand the importance of gender equality. True to what you said, when a woman is empowered, it changes absolutely everything in the community and starting an educational atmosphere is really a key point of that.”

Meg continued (below), acknowledging it can be overwhelming to think about these issues, but gives a tangible tip on how we can start to see change:

“Sometimes access to education can seem so big, you wonder where to even begin? So you begin with one student, or one school, you simply begin. And that’s when we see change.”

She’s a total pro!!

During a sweet moment of levity in the impassioned speech, she joked while referencing her notes:

“It’s very exciting today. And I will use a note card for this because my goodness, it’s this last bit that I can’t screw up!”

Give her full speech a watch (below):

The former Suits star has spoken about her passion for gender equality and education for years, long before she was married to Prince Harry! Back in October 2018, the then-pregnant Duchess was front and center during a reception in honor of New Zealand’s 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage while on her first royal tour with Harry.

Ch-ch-check out her full speech (below):

"Bravo New Zealand for championing the right of women to vote 125 years ago." — The Duchess of Sussex, as she and The Duke joined PM @JacindaArdern and @GovGeneralNZ Dame Patsy Reddy to celebrate the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage in New Zealand. #RoyalVisitNZ pic.twitter.com/zpFhyPiE8r

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) October 28, 2018