October 7, 2022
Girls Write Now mentees Alyssa Fowler, Sheyla Javier, and Natalie Henry participated in a six-month fellowship with STARS Citywide Girls Initiative, which culminated in a trip to Seneca Falls, New York, to attend the 2022 Induction Ceremony at the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Inductees this year included Michelle Obama, Octavia Butler, Joy Harjo, and Judy Chicago—with whom mentees had the opportunity to network and engage in conversation. On stage at the ceremony, mentee Natalie Henry recited the Maya Angelou poem “On the Pulse of Morning” accompanied by the Rochester Women’s Philharmonic Orchestra.
In this Leadership Intensive, Fellows prepared for the Becoming More Summit, a live workshop and speaker series that covered topics relating to Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming. The Fellows were then charged with choosing a topic, as well as creating and delivering a “TEDx- style” presentation to their families and peers. As a reward for their participation in this program, Fellows were invited to attend the 2022 Induction Weekend at the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York.
Girls Write Now is a founding member of the STARS Citywide Girls Initiative, a collective of 10 NYC-based organizations. Over the past decade, STARS has served 500,000 girls and gender expansive youth across disciplines (from art and writing to leadership and sports) from all 51 NYC Council Districts, raising awareness—and over $12 Million—from the City Council to address the dearth of funding for women and girls—currently just 1.9% of philanthropy nationwide!