peopleinthe209
INVESTING IN THE By PAUL ROUPE
W Believe in yourself, and once you invest in yourself, things happen
—Erica Ayala
hen Erica Ayala saw her picture hanging up in the rotunda of the California State Capitol building, she felt fulfilled yet humbled. Named Woman of the Year for the Central Valley’s 12th district by Senator Anthony Cannella, Ayala knew it was an honor to be recognized for something that started out under a canopy on back-to-school night. Four years ago, she had the idea to start a program that would help young women empower themselves and realize their potential in life. She called it Invest In Me. She handed out flyers and talked to passersby about her agenda to show women that they could do anything they put their minds to, but they have to be confident in who they are in order to make lasting change. “Believe in yourself, and once you 209MAGAZINE.COM
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invest in yourself, things happen,” she says. The first meetings were held in Ayala’s living room. The parents who attended knew there was something special happening, so they endorsed it from the very beginning. Now, the weekend workshops, held one Saturday a month (seven months of the year) at the Patterson Teen Center, are complete with guest speakers and discussion topics pertinent to the lives of young women. The workshops also teach girls about what is going on right now. With all of the fervor and heightened awareness swirling around sexual harassment, it is important that they address the topic in school and the community as well as learn to advocate for themselves. Education and self-growth are both equally important, so it is vital that
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