2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR
Alyssa Jordan Fain,16
Alyssa is from Greenwood, Indiana and would love to be involved in foreign missions later in her life as well as having a family of her own someday. She volunteers with the homeless, especially kids, and is heavily involved in a mentoring program for children with trouble in school and at home, through her church. Alyssa also volunteers at a local nursing home and is involved in various activities with her church. She loves reading, traveling, meeting new people and watching movies. Her future goals include studying something business related or education.
Calla is highly involved in her community of Delta, Ohio. She has participated in various academic as well as extracurricular activities in her school, such as being a full diploma International Baccalaureate student, performing in arts activities like Musicals, and Debate team. She is also an officer in the St. Margaret Princess Club, Social Justice Alliance, and Pastoral Core Team. She represents her school as a Diplomat, Executive Student Council Treasurer and Big Sis/ Little Sis Mentor. Calla hopes to work abroad to promote peace and understanding while tackling the global issues of poverty and prejudice, as a career in law has always captivated her attention. In her spare time Calla enjoys reading, photography and attending bible study with friends.
Calla Gilson, 17
2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR
Carly Bandt,17
Carly, from Shoreview, Minnesota likes gardening, camping, hiking and reading, and some of her activities include Cross Country/Track, Science Olympiad, Speech and Economics Club. She would love to someday run at the University of Pennsylvania as well as to study International Business. Carly is also the volunteer club coordinator at Mounds View High School, President of Hands On Twin Cities Youth Advisory board, Nature Camp counselor and tutors for an after school program. She also loves learning about other cultures and is excited to discuss some prevalent issues that girls in multiple countries are dealing with.
Angelique is from Washington, DC and is an advocate for global change and women and girls’ rights. She has a blog and is a community activist, and has served as the president of the DC NAACP Youth Council, teen advisor for GirlUp as well as peer health educator. Her goals for the future include being a journalist and traveling all around the world to inspire people for social good and unity.
Angelique Gaston, 17
2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR
Camila Restrepo-Botero,18
Her passion for theatre and creative writing has made Camila Restrepo- Botero pursue a career in education, as she hopes to become a high school English teacher, and maybe, even do some acting along the way. In Fayetteville, Arkansas, her hometown, Camila serves as a Life Teen leader at St.Joseph’s Catholic Church and as a camp volunteer in the Catholic Heart Work Camp. Some of her hobbies include: acting, writing, reading, photography, dance and musicals. She hopes to engage in discussions with people from other states and countries in order to learn more about other young women’s viewpoints
Singing, dancing, rapping and watching Korean shows are some of the hobbies that Destiny Jones from Washington, DC enjoys. Her dream is to become a veterinarian and hopes to one day open her own chain of shelters, hospitals, schools, and zoos around the world. She is currently involved with Global Kids, a non-profit educational organization for global learning and youth development, and AA Lead. Destiny loves learning about new cultures, especially trying their traditional foods. During this experience, she hopes to meet other young leaders who are from different parts of the world and learn more about the different issues happening around the world and the possible solutions for improving them.
Destiny Jones, 17
2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR In the city of Riverhead, New York Charlotte volunteers in the Interact Club and at the Riverhead Free Library as Teenage Tech Help. In the future she will like to do her masters on either history or anthropology and her ultimate dream is to help refugees from around the world. In her spare time Charlotte likes to read, play tennis and travel.
Charlotte Palmer,17
Like many young girls her age, Nour, from Falls Church, Virginia likes to go shopping, watch television and hanging out with friends. Her ultimate goals is to travel and learn more about different cultures from around the world, as well as to become a lawyer in order to help people and institutions fight injustice inflicted upon them. She likes to travel and has been to Egypt as her family is from there. Nour also plays tennis both competitively as well as a leisure activity. She is highly involved in her high school’s newspaper, serving as the sports editor. Nour has also interned at a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that advocates for gender equality and was exposed to several issues women face around the world: gender stereotyping, domestic violence and inequality.
Nour Abdel-Ghani, 17
2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR Elizabeth is from Sag Harbor, New York and volunteers her time in Teen Institute as well as teaching and helping others. She would like to live in North Carolina, married with a family and have her own nursery school. Elizabeth feels that this experience is once in a life time opportunity and wants to learn more about women’s impact on the future.
Elizabeth Ashley Grigonis,17
Helping people who are in need is what Jordan from Riverhead, New York is most passionate about. She is a member of a service and volunteer work club in her school, called Leo Club. In this club she has participated in many events such as raising money for the American Heart Association, Breast Cancer in a 5k walk, and fed less fortunate people on Thanksgiving and St. Patrick’s Day. Jordan hopes to become a pediatrician in the future and wants to live a life full of love and happiness.
Jordan Tapley, 17
2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR
Haley Zega,17
Haley’s passion for theatre performance has led her to understand not only herself but also those around her, as she believes that the beauty of theatre relays in the ability to share common emotions and experiences. For Haley acting is understanding. She is highly involved in her hometown Fayetteville, Arkansas. Haley serves as an officer in the Fayetteville High School Gay-Straight Alliance, is an active member of the Foreign Language Club, Thespian Troupe 717 and the Young Democrats and Liberals. She also volunteers in Arts Live Theatre which is a children’s and youth community theatre. Haley’s also loves to travel and has been in 14 different countries, where she has learned about different cultures and world views.
Coming from Mahtomedi, Minnesota, Diamond’s future goals include being the first one of her family to graduate from college, pursuing a career in the medical field, helping her brothers and sister who are in Africa and assisting young people in her community who are actively involved in community service. Diamond is in the Young Youths Leadership Council and is a mentor in SWAG, a program for grade school children. She also volunteers her time at animal shelters, wildfire rescues, environmental organizations as well as assisting the elderly. In her spare time Diamond likes to read, sing and help her community.
Diamond Saydee, 15
2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR Heather from Cloverdale, Indiana is involved in student council, the Putman County Youth Philanthropy, the FFA and 4-H, an organization which encourages young people to be active in their community in order to become better leaders. In the future Heather would like to study nutrition or physical therapy as well as playing softball while in college. She will also like to make a difference in her community by helping others to the best of her ability. Some of her favorite sports include volleyball and Softball.
Heather Alicia Goss,16
Maya is passionate about making real sustainable change in underserved communities and would like to pursue a career in international studies, finance and law. In her hometown which is Washington, DC, she volunteers at Hands on America, Brainfood, For Love of Children, College Summit, Wilson Crew Team and AMIGOS. She is also the Co-founder as well as Co-Chair of the Wilson Social Justice Club and has interned with the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department Junior Police Academy and Urban Alliance.
Maya-Michelle Woldehawariat, 17
2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR
Olivia Wicklund,17
Olivia from Litchfield, Minnesota strives to become a senator in the future; she would also like to work at a nonprofit organization as well as create her own interior design business. She is the president of the Minnesota Family, career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), a National Child Awareness Youth Ambassador for YSA (Youth Service America) and Peer Mentor for the National Organization for Youth Safety (NOYS), a teen against distracted driving organization. Olivia is also an intern at a local law office. In her spare time she likes watching scary movies and going to baseball games. She is also in her school band where she plays the flute and is taking several college courses. English is her favorite subject.
From literacy projects to youth engagement Rachel from Stevens Points, Wisconsin is highly involved in her community. She is the founder of Literacy for Little Ones, a literacy project that encourages parents of newborns to read to their infants which instills a lifelong love of reading, builds a strong foundation for education, and develops a special bond in the family by donating book packages to newborn’s families in four different hospitals in North Central Wisconsin. Rachel also serves on generationOn’s NationalYouth Advisory Council. As an ambassador, she motivates youth to make their mark on the world through service. In her free time she enjoys playing soccer, tennis, and the violin. As for future goals, Rachel plans to major in biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota and wants to make artificial organs to help others in need.
Rachel Ley, 16
2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR Rose’s interest to learn about new cultures goes beyond her hometown Montevideo, Minnesota; as she aspires to be a writer and travel around the world and document her experiences. She works at a café and in her free time she likes to write, draw, sing, act and play music. Rose is very excited to meet other girls from different parts of the world as she is interested in learning more about different cultures.
Rose Marie Hathaway,17
Samantha from Carmel, Indiana would like to pursue a career in either engineering or the sciences which will allow her to work in multiple fields ranging from Water Management to Biomedical Engineering. She believes that through these types of problem solving fields along with social conscience, it is possible to find solutions to multiple issues including lack of clean water, contaminated food supply, epidemics and endemic diseases that can kill thousands to millions of individuals. It is Samantha’s dream to use her knowledge in order to serve and help others. Samantha is a Representative in the Carmel High School House of Representatives, a TOPSoccer Volunteer in which she worked and taught soccer to children with special needs. She has also traveled to Slovakia as part of the International Messengers Mission Service and has a soccer E-coaching license and TOPsoccer teaching certificate. Samantha is very interested in Latin America and hopes to one day work with organizations focused on this region with service projects that have to do with engineering and science.
Samantha Kokoska, 17
2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR
Teah Lorraine Flynn,15
With a bright future in broadcast journalism, Teah is the producer of My Kid’s Point of View TV series on CATV, a show that discusses adult issues from a kid’s point of view, some of the issues that are discussed are on Texting and Driving, Child ID Apps, Drinking and Driving and Political issues. She is also actively involved in her community in Fayetteville, Arkansas where she is the founder and organizer for Keep the Ball in Motion –Rally and Give Back, a nationwide Tennis Relay for Genomic Cancer Research. In the future Teah hopes to pursue a career in Broadcast Journalism, Fashion Merchandising and International Business and in her spare time she enjoys traveling, modeling, acting as well as playing tennis both competitive and for leisure.
Sarah from Muncie, Indiana has an incredible interest in horse riding, as she has competed in Western-Style horse riding and hopes in the future to coach youth who are interested in this field too; her future goals also include being a secondary school math teacher. Sarah also spends her time volunteering in Friends Memorial Church Food Pantry, Delaware County 4H as a camp counselor and at Buley Community Center as a classroom aid. She is also part of the Muncie Interfaith Youth Group, Delaware County 4H Jr. Leaders, Pony Junior Board and the Debate Team. In her free time Sarah likes to read, cook and go camping. Sarah wants to be a role model to young women by showing them that they can have jobs in the areas of math and sciences.
Sara Ruth Spodek, 17
2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR
Lindsay Anne Cox,17
Lindsay‘s future plans range from working for the United Nations, an NGO or becoming a high school teacher, while still continuing to be engaged in her community. She plans to pursue a career in either international relations or education and volunteers her time as a counselor at HUGS, a drug and alcohol prevention program for middle and high school students. Lindsay is currently the Co-President of her schools Model United Nations Club; she is the Founder and President of her school’s Gay Straight Alliance, editor of her school’s newspaper as well as the President of her school’s National Honor Society. She is also involved in sports activities; she is part of her school’s varsity soccer team and is a soccer coach to elementary school children in her hometown Sag Harbor, New York.
D’aja’s future aspirations are either being a news anchor or being an actress. She is from Riverhead, New York and likes playing the violin as well as dancing, swimming, writing and reading. D’aja is also a member of the Southampton Town Youth Board and the RHS Key Club. She has also participated in various community projects through Jack and Jill of America Inc. Organization. D’aja is excited to participate in this seminar as she hopes to help out girls both her age, younger than her and even girls older.
D’aja Nicole Mitchner, 16
2013 BRAZIL-US INTERNATIONAL
GIRL’S EMPOWERMENT SEMINAR
Dimond Maurnay Preston,17
Dimond is from Washington, DC and some of her future plans include being a pediatrician, making a sustainable change in her community, and traveling around the world. Dimond is not only active within her community but has also assisted in programs outside her city and outside of the U.S. She has helped rebuild houses for hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans and assisted with water stations in Haiti. Dimond also tutors young kids and in her spare time she likes to dance, sing, and listen to music.