How your support is making dreams come true

Girls Write Now is proud to be celebrating 20 years of mentoring the next generation of women writers. Our mission matters — now more than at any other juncture in the organization’s history. Today’s social climate demands that we do much, much more for young women. Can you help us ensure that vulnerable voices are heard and stories are written? Our girls are thriving and confident because we believe in them. If you believe in Girls Write Now and our work, please donate any amount today. Your dollars directly impact our work. Today we champion mentee alum Natalia Vargas-Caba for her persistence, spirit, and dedication to her craft.

With Girls Write Now by her side, mentee alum Natalia Vargas-Caba reached her writing, college and career goals. Here is Natalia’s story:
“I grew up in the Bronx and attended a high school with metal detectors, overcrowded classrooms, and outdated textbooks. My twin sister discovered Girls Write Now, and I joined my sophomore year after watching her perform her work at the annual CHAPTERS Reading. The program and my mentors shaped me into a young woman with a powerful voice.
After graduating from high school, my life took a turn and sadly, I stopped writing and dropped out of community college. That’s when Girls Write Now came back into my life. I rediscovered the program and applied to be an intern. My dream was to attend Sarah Lawrence College, a magnificent goal for a low-income Latina in the urban jungle. Girls Write Now’s College Bound program connected me to the school’s admissions counselors and their alums. I worked hard to write and edit my best admissions essay and then the day came when I received my acceptance letter. I was in the Girls Write Now office when I opened it, and the staff cried tears of happiness with me.
I secured internships at HarperCollins, The Feminist Press, and Macmillan and after graduating from Sarah Lawrence, the school awarded me a full scholarship to the Certificate of Book Publishing program, where I met with Simon and Schuster’s HR director. I am now a publicity assistant for Atria Books and work with books in translation, books in Spanish, and several titles written by women of color. I still volunteer at Girls Write Now and even now as a young professional woman, I continue to learn so much from Girls Write Now and the mentees.”