Girls Write Now at the PRNews’ Top Women in PR Awards

Girls Write Now mentee alum, Natalia Vargas-Caba, joined Founder & Executive Director Maya Nussbaum at the podium as Maya gave a keynote address at the PRNews’ Top Women in PR Awards. Natalia shared her experiences with the audience and the music video “Ode to Malala” was shown.

On Tuesday, January 24^th, I was honored to present Girls Write Now with keynote speaker Maya Nussbaum, Founder and friend, at PRNews’ Top Women in PR Luncheon at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Grand Central. Maya and I share a decade-long relationship, from the program’s infancy to the superstar it is today. Back in our day, Maya was Girls Write Now. She prepared all the workshops, invited our speakers, and coordinated the mentors. We’d peel the Babybel cheese wheels she’d bring. I’m proud to watch it grow from a dedicated volunteer effort to the praise and merit it so deserves.

At the luncheon, I was awed by all the women represented, the strength within each individual to succeed, and thought how powerful it is to be recognized for your work. On stage, each winner answered one out of four inspiring questions, with advice to their 20-year-old selves as the most popular. As a young woman and rising publicist and writer, I heard that, despite our generation span, we still conquer the same struggles. They advised to believe in yourself, the journey will take you, and always be open to different paths.
This is what constitutes Girls Write Now: we believe in our girls to succeed and become the best women for themselves, for ourselves, and raise their voices to a higher platform. Our girls take their creative styles from the page to the digital screen. In my speech, I let the attendees know of my start as a quiet teen in a troubled Bronx public high school to how Girls Write Now helped me become more confident in my words and study Creative Writing and Spanish at Sarah Lawrence College. Maya and the team continue to mentor me as a writer and young woman today. I give back all that the Maya has done for me by helping out at workshops. I’m not much older than our girls, yet the winners’ advice rings true. I ended my speech by letting the attendees know that, though the years separate us, we are still girls bursting with knowledge.
Natalia is performing with the group Poetic People Power at the International Human Rights Art Festival where she will present a poetic story on the economic and government abuse in Venezuela. http://dixonplace.org/performances/poetic-people-power/