How One Pair Navigated Grief and Built Each Other Up to Achieve their Goals
During National Mentoring Month, we are excited to bring you an update from a truly amazing pair. In 2023, Channel Kindness, a project of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, interviewed mentor Annie Pill and mentee Shaila Moulee after they completed their first year of mentorship.
“When I met Shaila, I gained so much more than a mentee, but a true lifelong friend who is wise beyond her years,” Annie said in the profile. “Who teaches me [a] rich perspective of the world— how she sees it, how she navigates it, how deeply she loves her family, her peers, writing itself.”
They spoke of the amazing progress they have made together as writers and resilient individuals, including navigating challenging times of grief.
“Shaila experienced the devastating loss of three close family members, and we turned to writing as a way to navigate the depths of grief and its enduring imprint on the heart,” Annie said later. “When appropriate, I shared my own vulnerabilities, including my journey with my father’s Alzheimer’s disease, reminding Shaila that loss is an experience that connects us all.”
In the article, Annie and Shaila also spoke of the ways that they have pushed each other to gain a new sense of self-confidence. In high school, Shaila advocated for herself to be moved from a default English class to a creative writing course. She said that she wouldn’t have done it without Annie’s advice and encouragement.
“I think Annie is my North Star,” Shaila said in the profile for Channel Kindness. “She has given me that validation that I have been desperately seeking but haven’t received…”
With Annie’s support, Shaila has overcome numerous barriers to pursue her passion for writing.
“As someone with a rich Bangladeshi heritage deeply intertwined with artistry, and a childhood dream of becoming an author, Girls Write Now validated the aspirations of that little girl who worked hard to master English alongside Bangla and Arabic. My words were often lost in translation, but GWN gave me the tools to reclaim and refine my craft,” Shaila said in a LinkedIn post.
Since the publication of the article, Shaila and Annie have taken the lessons they learned in their mentorship and applied them to their latest pursuits.
Shaila went on to win multiple Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, manage two poetry slams and serve as the editor of her high school’s literary magazine. She earned a full-ride scholarship to Stony Brook University, where she continues to take part in literary competitions.
“Beyond academics, I’m still journaling and writing poetry, steadily working toward my childhood dream of publishing my own poetry book one day,” Shaila told us.
Annie said that her journey with Shaila at Girls Write Now has been transformative, both personally and professionally.
“Inspired by this experience, I realized that I wanted to support even more young people in reaching their full potential while bolstering their mental health,” Annie said. “This realization led me to make a significant career shift—from marketing technology to social work. Now pursuing my Master’s in Social Work at UCLA, I am engaging both my mind and heart, drawing heavily on the skills and insights I gained through Girls Write Now. My time with Shaila was a guiding light, illuminating the path to a future in social work and psychotherapy, for which I am profoundly grateful.”
As we continue to enroll more mentors and mentees in the Girls Write Now Collaboratory, we are bolstered by the hope found in stories like Annie and Shaila’s. Their journey proves that mentorship is a powerful, life-changing experience that can take you places you only dreamed of going. You can support more pairs like Annie and Shaila when you donate today.
Reminder: Applications for the Spring 2025 Cycle of Journeys are due January 15, 2025.