College acceptances and scholarships are rolling in! Meet Kirby and Shirleyka, and look out for updates on more girls soon!
Kirby Estar Laguerre, Brooklyn resident and third year mentee at Girls Write Now, just earned a Posse scholarship, including full tuition, to Vanderbilt University (which also happens to be her dream school). The Posse Foundation “is rooted in the belief that a small, diverse group of talented students — a Posse — can serve as a catalyst for increased individual and community development.” Girls Write Now guided Kirby through an intensive two-month process in which just a handful of scholarships were awarded from a group of thousands of applicants. During her time at Girls Write Now, Kirby performed for International Day of the Girl at the United Nations and wrote a TV segment for Fusion (with host and 2016 Girls Write Now Awards emcee, Alicia Menendez). We’re looking forward to following Kirby’s adventures at Vanderbilt!
Shirleyka Hector, Haiti native and third-year mentee at Girls Write Now, was recently awarded a $10,000 scholarship for college through the Beat the Odds Program at the Children’s Defense Fund. The program “honors outstanding high schools students who have overcome tremendous adversity, demonstrated academic excellence and given back to their communities.” Shirleyka was a Posse Foundation scholarship finalist, and while not selected for the program, she has received acceptances to universities based upon her status as a finalist. We cannot wait to see what is next for Shirleyka, she has been core to the Girls Write Now community, working as part of our Poets Collective and attending many events on our behalf including the #62MillionGirls Let Girls Learn event with First Lady, Michelle Obama.