Women and Girls Lead Shorts
- Women and Girls Lead Shorts - Las Vegas, NV
- Women and Girls Lead Shorts - Miami, FL
- Women and Girls Lead Shorts - Kansas City, MO
- Women and Girls Lead Shorts - Austin, TX
Las Vegas, NV
Meet Dr. Alana Saxe: Dr. Alana Saxe grew up in California’s Central Valley and thought a career in dentistry was unattainable. But she took the leap, graduated at the top of her dental school, and now teaches oral health to young students.
Meet Mariamo Mukoma: “There is no such thing as being a failure,” said Mariamo Mukoma, who immigrated to the U.S. as a Somalian refugee at the age of 10. Now, she serves as a translator for her parents as they fill out paperwork, takes care of her siblings, works, and attends nursing school.
Meet Sharon Gaines: Sharon Gaines overcame her body insecurities through the adrenaline-pumping sport of boxing and now works as a personal trainer at the age of 39. “When you respect yourself, you warrant respect from other people,” she said.
Meet Tammy Townsend: Tammy Townsend has cerebral palsy. She wasn't expected to be born, but now she's an advocate for students with cerebral palsy and works as a receptionist at Summit Daycare Center. She lives with her partner, who also uses a wheelchair, and hopes to be able to marry him legally someday.
Meet Tina T.: DJ Tina T. slept on couches before she achieved her dream job in the “boys club” of DJing. Now, she helps young musicians at her own Camp Spinoff, the only sleep away summer camp for teens that inspires and teaches them how to DJ.
Miami, FL
Meet Bernice Steinbaum: A former art history professor and NYC gallery owner, 68-year-old Bernice Steinbaum champions female and minority artists. Her groundbreaking Miami gallery closed July 2012.
Meet Corinna Moebius: A gringa by birth, Corinna Moebius has become an “honorary Cuban” in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, where she shares the cultural wealth as a tour guide and blogger.
Meet Daniell Washington: Daniell Washington bucked female stereotypes by becoming a scientist and an entrepreneur, founding The Big Blue and You to teach children about marine conservation.
Meet Michelle Alban: Michelle Alban’s adventurous life has taken her from the U.S. Air Force in Saudi Arabia to Telemundo in Miami as the Vice President of Corporate Communications.
Meet Nicole Portuondo: Nicole Portuondo is a fierce fisherwoman. While helping the family business and attending high school, she was ranked number one junior angler in the World Billfish Series.
Kansas City, MO
Meet Alice Piggee-Wallack: In a neighborhood in Kansas City where approximately 30% of the population lives below the poverty level, Pastor Alice Piggee-Wallack runs a non-profit organization to help homeless women and children have a place to stay during the day. It’s here where she has dedicated her life to helping the most destitute, addicted and hopeless people in her community.
Meet Brionna Williams: At 14, Brionna Williams was suffering from health problems and chronic asthma. Now a 17-year-old senior at Kansas City’s Central High School, Brionna has become healthier and has found success as a highly recruited student athlete.
Meet Elizabeth Suh Lane: Elizabeth Suh Lane was a globe-traveling violinist, then turned to motherhood and musical entrepreneurship for inspiration. She is the founder and artistic director of the Back Aria Soloists and teaches music in schools throughout Kansas City.
Meet Monica Steiner: Monica Steiner is a wife and mother with stage-four metastatic breast cancer. Along with her family, she is fighting to save the lives of others by raising money for research through their fundraiser called “Ironteam.”
Meet Peregrine Honig: Peregrine Honig is a successful artist and entrepreneur and an active member of the burgeoning arts community in Kansas City. She became the youngest living artist with work in the Whitney’s permanent collection.
Austin, TX
Meet Beverly Kearney: With more national championships than any other African American college coach, University of Texas track coach Beverly Kearney is used to breaking barriers. After an accident left her paralyzed, she learned to walk again, empowering other women to live by her motto: “Failure has never been an option.”
Meet Sonia B. Castellanos: Sonia B. Castellanos is a real-life role model for young Latinas in central Texas. Just 1 percent of the Latinas in her community graduated high school when she started Con Mi MADRE. Last year, 97 percent of the program's seniors went on college.
Meet Suzanne Santos: As the farmers’ market director of the Sustainable Food Center, Suzanne Santos knows that change can be made and felt on a local level. Suzanne connects farmers with families, champions female market managers, and promotes local food systems, empowering her community and herself.
Meet Taryn Davis: At 21, Taryn Davis became a military widow when her husband was killed by a roadside bomb. Feeling lost and alone, she began the American Widow Project to connect with other widows, offering her own perspective on grief: “I can do anything … I have no fear anymore.”
Meet Nessa Higgins and Andrea Day Boykin: After their children attended the same kindergarten class, Nessa Higgins and Andrea Day Boykin became business partners, buying a 1966 Avion trailer out of which they sell their Flip Happy Crepes. They’ve appeared on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, demonstrating to their young daughters the power of doing what you love.
To view more Campaign Shorts, go to I Believe in Women and Girls Lead
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