“Sometimes those of us in the nonprofit sector have trouble believing that change in so close when we have worked for it for so long,” was an underlying sentiment expressed by Mirette Bahgat (Egypt), Atlas Corps Fellow at Civic Enterprises in a recent panel discussion featuring the Atlas Corps Fellows from Egypt.

I sat in the audience as a social entrepreneur and CEO of Atlas Corps, pausing for a rare moment of pride to think that the Atlas Corps network facilitated this dialogue. Atlas Corps embraces this belief that individuals can inspire positive change. However, before Atlas Corps, before my journey as a social entrepreneur, I was (and still consider myself to be) an activist, an advocate, an agitator, and an agent for social change. In the company of these three talented nonprofit leaders from Egypt who not only participated in history, but shaped it, I listened in the audience as a student and awe-struck fan.

Mirette, May, and Sally are three Egyptian Atlas Corps Fellows serving at nonprofits in Washington, DC, for one year to learn leadership skills and also to share their perspectives as skilled nonprofit professionals. As participants in the Egyptian Revolution, their perspectives are unique and fascinating. Each participated in the revolution from their own point of view. Sally marched in the streets, lost track of her non-activist friend who had taken a bullet and thankfully lived to tell the tale. May engaged the world on Facebook and Twitter, re-tweeting the revolution and capturing the feelings in the written word. Mirette spent some of the revolution in Tahrir Square. As a Christian activist, she entered Tahrir Square, surprised by the welcome received even with her faith background. She saw Coptic Christian priests lead people in singing nationalistic songs and families bring their children to square to participate in the revolution.

They shared their perspectives as female activists in a country where gender equality is a major struggle. Though, in Tahrir Square, it felt like a utopia where different faiths and genders shared equal ground. They each reflected on the debates between the generations. Parents calling their children crazy, not confident in the possibility of real change or in the belief that any change would be good.

In their own words, they reflected on the conflict in their minds about what to do and what role to play. As nonprofit leaders, they worked for years toward positive change in society. When this change arrived so quickly and dramatically, it caught them off guard, unsure if this protest would be any different from the many protests of the past.

I reflect during this incredible conversation about my own political and civic protests. My own disbelief about when and whether change will come. The struggles around the world that thousands of activists try to overcome continue. The struggle may be long, but it is not endless. While we must prepare ourselves for the long fight we have ahead of ourselves to work for social justice, we must also prepare ourselves for the day when victory is near. Certainly no one in Egypt is declaring “mission accomplished” just yet; their revolution is just beginning. But they are pausing to celebrate, to reflect and to plan for the future – one of many things we can learn from these incredible individuals.

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Scott Beale is Founder and CEO of Atlas Corps. On April 21, 2011, Atlas Corps, Civic Enterprises, and NCoC hosted a panel discussion entitled “The Road to Democracy: My Reflections on the Egyptian Revolution,” the video of which is displayed above.