Lake Braddock Secondary School United States Government Team
Mary Kathryn Brummet
Rev. Dr. Ed Golden
Carolyn Ford
Phyllis Walsh
Patty Avery
Sejal Hathi
Sejal Hathi is on a mission to empower girls.
When she was 15, Sejal was diagnosed with anorexia. She was shocked and in denial.
In the aftermath of recovery, she realized that thousands of girls who suffer do not have confidence in their power as individuals. She made it her lifelong mission to empower them.
Sejal founded Girls Helping Girls (GHG), an international nonprofit organization that partners girls in the United States with girls in schools and community organizations in developing countries. The girls jointly identify problems in their communities and develop programs to create positive change. GHG channels the power harvested from the girls' collaborative service projects to eradicate poverty, increase access to education, improve health, and – most important – promote peace.
Today, GHG volunteers have directly trained more than 5,000 girls to launch their own social-change projects. The girls are from more than 15 different countries.
The volunteers have also raised nearly $40,000 to provide basic necessities, educational opportunities and social-change workshops to hundreds of deserving but impoverished girls around the world.
When increasing numbers of girls began to approach Sejal asking how they could create programs of their own, she saw the need to connect this growing network of young changemakers. She decided to amplify GHG into a larger movement by founding The Sisters 4 Peace Network, a social-change forum that provides one-on-one mentorship and resources to girls aspiring to create change.
Sejal believes that every girl “has something deep, tangible, and worthwhile to offer. We can demonstrate this power and ability to even the most destitute by empowering them with the education about their condition, the awareness of their potential, the example of others, and the training and tools to redefine their destiny.”
Minerva Gonzalez
Minerva Gonzalez is set on creating opportunites for Latinas to pursue higher education.
When she was applying to colleges, Minerva was impressed by the support she received from a high school teacher to pursue advanced education. As a result of this support, Minerva graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Administration.
She decided to give back to other young Latinas to encourage them to pursue educational opportunities.
Minerva joined the North County Latinas Association, which seeks to create a healthy quality of life for all Latinas by empowering Latinas socially and economically through education.
The North County Latinas Association (NCLA) was founded in 1992 in order to bring together Latinas who share common goals. The NCLA provides four main programs: monthly meetings that provide networking opportunities; a scholarship fund for annual granting to high school Latinas; a full day conference for young Latinas and their mothers, focusing on education, careers, leadership and positive motivation; and a mentoring program for young Latinas.
Minerva’s work with NCLA is important because it address the lack of college preparation and opportunity information for students and their parents. Her efforts help increase the number of Latinas learning how to attend college as she has seen the number of NCLA conference attendees grow from 100 to 1,000.
As Minerva shares, “Education access and equity is my passion and the work is never done. There is always more to do. So I will continue to serve my community.”
Rev. Jamesetta Ferguson
Reverend Jamesetta Ferguson is increasing the scope of her congregation to impact her community in Louisville, Kentucky.
Rev. Ferguson serves as the pastor of St. Peter's United Church of Christ located in the heart of one of Louisville's largest housing projects. With incredible vision and perseverance, Pastor Ferguson has transormed this once closed faith community into a thriving neighborhood church that meets the needs of the community.
To increase the services provided by the church, Ferguson organizes and leads groups of volunteer workers, most who live at or below the poverty level, to help themselves through helping others.
Under Pastor Ferguson's leadership, St. Peter’s has expanded its programming to benefit the neighborhood’s adult and child populations. St. Peter’s began a Dare to Care Food Distribution Center as well as an Emergency Food Center. The church also offers support community meetings for those with HIV/AIDS or struggling with addition recovery. Through community partnerships, St. Peter’s dispenses health information ad provides free health screenings. A licensed counselor also provides services to individuals and families in need for free or at a reduced cost.
St Peter's represents a safe place to the over 500 children and youth that live right across the street in the housing project. Church vlunteers provide local children and youth with a hot meal, help with homework, and healthy, fun times during the youth programs through the week.
In Pastor Ferguson’s words, “I have undertaken the transformation of a traditional congregation in urban Louisville and have led them to great success in reaching people in a predominantly African-American community. Creating an atmosphere of harmony and unity in this increasingly diverse society is key to helping people care about one another and a willingness to help one another. I have also served as an advocate for the people in the congregation and community to seek individual identity through spiritual growth and participation in social services that will empower them in their individual lives and families to become better men, women and children.”