Isabel, age 11, has been coming to Girls Inc. since the summer after kindergarten. She told her “Girls Inc. story” to a room of more than 300 attendees as the featured girl speaker at the 2017 Celebration Luncheon.
Her time at Girls Inc. has taught her that girls can, and should, stand up for themselves and for others.
When she was younger, her eczema condition made her the target of horrible bullying because her skin looked different and she couldn’t eat the same foods as other kids. “The bullies now know that I am a strong, powerful young woman. They thought they could take me down, but they were wrong.”
Today, Isabel doesn’t get bullied anymore. But once, she had someone tell her that she couldn’t do something because she was a girl. That something was becoming a scientist, a career Isabel is considering pursuing. She was told she was “too pretty” for such a thing.
“Because I go to Girls Inc., I know that scientists don’t look like anything in particular. Because I go to Girls Inc., I know that girls can and should dream of becoming whatever they want. And because I go to Girls Inc., I believe I will do whatever I put my mind to. I know, deep down, that no one can stop me from fulfilling my dreams.”