Amazing Girl Caitlin
This month's Girls Coalition Amazing Girl is Caitlin. Caitlin is a senior at Mt. Lebanon High School where she is active in a number of activities including Class of 2009 Senior Executive Council, Co-Chair of the Moving Forward program, a group focused on creating a more respectful and accepting environment in the school and community, President of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), and last but not least she is on the tennis team. Caitlin is also involved with a community program called Partnership Against Underage Substance Abuse (PAUSA) and on the steering committee of the Mt. Lebanon Caring Initiative. Caitlin reactivated the SADD chapter after it had fallen apart during the 2007-2008 school year. She has pulled a group of students together to distribute Red Ribbons to promote anti-drug use; gone into the middle and elementary schools to talk about their decision making; and this year has initiated a program through which all students at the Mt. Lebanon High School will receive a birthday card on their sixteenth birthday encouraging them to make good decisions as they become first time drivers.
Caitlin's involvement in all these activities while going to school is amazing but what makes her even more remarkable is that she does all these things with style and grace. She is a silent but strong presence expressing herself eloquently whether in front of a group of students or adults. Caitlin is grounded in her beliefs, and she values not falling into peer pressure. Family commitment and the value of family time are expressed by Caitlin which has fostered her to be such a strong role model. She is a role model not only for her peers both male and female, but also for adults, which is what makes Caitlin such an "Amazing Girl!"
Call for Amazing Girl Nominations
The Girls Coalition of SWPA is always accepting nominations for "Amazing Girls" to be featured in our newsletter. We have established broad criteria to consider when submitting an "Amazing Girl." We are interested in showcasing girls who demonstrate the following characteristics: leadership; commitment and willingness to work hard; perseverance; the drive to excel despite challenge; and creativity. The purpose of this feature is to hear about girls who may be "truly amazing" but have not yet been recognized. Please share your recommendations, and we can all see how she shines!
Send us an email about an Amazing Girl you thing we should profile.
Meet more Amazing Girls....
Amazing Girl Olivia: Helping Farmers in Nicaragua
Olivia volunteered to travel to Nicaragua to help local farmers further develop their coffee co-op. This year, she was one of 11 young adults between the ages of 15-18 who helped Building New Hope, a Pittsburgh and Nicaragua based non-profit organization created to support grassroots development projects. In partnership with her local church, the group traveled to the El Porvenir coffee co-op where shade grown organic coffee is grown. It is the women who hand pick the beans that are then transported to America and can be purchased at local grocery stores. Olivia's volunteer work included a lot of manual labor including carrying wood and palm leaves up to a look-out site which was being built for visitors.Olivia observed that life and schooling for the children in Nicaragua is very different than what children experience in this country. Since most girls don't participate in sports, Olivia taught the girls how to play soccer. She also spent time teaching the children how to use crayons and coloring books. The children were not only unfamiliar with crayons, they also did not have a lot of food to eat. Olivia ate beans and rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It only took a day or two for the volunteers to realize that the neighboring street children were hungry. Olivia explained that, "Every day we made sure we shared our leftovers with the kids. We also made sure they had plastic forks to eat with."
Spending time helping others in another country has changed how Olivia views our excess of food and "stuff." Olivia no longer wastes food. She said, "If I have a big meal and can't finish it, I can no longer leave it on the plate. It has to be eaten by someone." Olivia also discussed the freedom women have in this country. "Here, we have so many things we can do, we can play sports, work and travel. Most girls over there will only work in the home." Olivia is a musical theatre major at the Creative and Performing Arts School.
Amazing Girl Kayla
Kayla has been a member of Adagio Health's Real Aids Prevention Project (RAPP) and Teen Advisory Council (TAC) for over 5 years and has emerged as a true leader among her peers. In addition to attending weekly meetings, RAPP members participate in community outreach programs that educate their peers on healthy lifestyles and responsible decision-making. Kayla has consistently gone above and beyond all that has been asked of her. Kayla's positive attitude and willingness to take on challenging responsibilities has made her a valuable asset to our program. Kayla's maturity is demonstrated by her dependability, punctuality and strong commitment to the program. In addition, Kayla is a very articulate young woman with the ability to communicate effectively with both her peers and older adults.
I had the pleasure of working with Kayla on an important project a couple years back. Adagio Health collaborated with Advocates for Youth, a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. In this project, Kayla met with state representatives to advocate for comprehensive sexuality education in Pennsylvania. Kayla represented our agency very well, and her efforts were instrumental in the success of the project. Also she received a scholarship to represent Pennsylvania in the "My Voice Counts" conference held in Washington D.C.
Kayla is an outstanding young woman, and I strongly support her in any endeavor she chooses. In a world where we hear so many negative things about our young people, it is refreshing to work with a young woman who is willing to go against the grain and be a role model in her community. Recently Kayla finished up her first year at Carlow University; she is looking to becoming a nurse.
Kayla was nominated by Aaron Thomas, Youth Projects Coordinator, Community Health at Adagio Health.
Amazing Girl Lani
When you hear the word "entrepreneur" do you think of Bill Gates or the guys from Google? Here at the Girls Coalition, we think of Lani, a 13-year-old entrepreneur who recently won second place honors and $5,000 in the national Girls Going Places® Entrepreneurship Award Program. Lani got started making all natural body scrubs as Christmas gifts for friends and family members in 2005. People loved the vanilla and almond varieties, and the scrubs turned out to be really great for clearing up sensitive skin. Lani enjoyed her hobby for a while, filling orders for family members and experimenting with different oils and scents. Then last year she started to think more seriously about turning this passion into a business opportunity. With the support of her parents, she built relationships with potential customers, sold them great products, followed up, and earned their trust. A contact at UPMC bought a few, then 100, then 200 more. When she placed an order for 2,400 peppermint foot scrubs to use in gift bags for the Walk for the Whisper, Simple Sugars Scrub really took off. The cash she earned from that large order went right back into the business - funding a new professional website (www.simplesugarsscrub.com) and upgraded supplies. In addition to growing her own business, Lani is committed to sharing what she has learned with other girls. Her best advice is "Have confidence in yourself and your ideas. Don't be afraid to just go for it!"