Grassroots Voices Empowering young women leaders making an impact in their communities

Sana Askari is the Founder of Esheel Stitching Circle (ESC), a nonprofit initiative that empowers Hazara Afghan women living in Afghanistan and refugee settlements in Pakistan by providing them gainful employment and income as they utilize their handiwork skills in making hand embroideries. Askari’s support extends beyond employment opportunities. She actively engages with Afghan women, offering not just financial aid, but also vital emotional support. She recently initiated fundraising for a 20-year-old ESC employee who, after losing one kidney, could not afford her medical expenses.

STEM Up, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to promoting gender diversity and
representation in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Founded and led by Jehan Idsassi, the organization’s Executive Director, STEM Up focuses on providing educational resources and support to young girls in underserved communities, with a global perspective. STEM Up’s mission is to advocate for equitable access to STEM education and to empower girls with the tools and materials they need to excel in these fields, all while addressing critical global issues such as climate change and financial literacy.

Idsassi, a Moroccan-Amazigh-American activist and emerging STEM innovator brings a wealth of experience to her role as the Founder and Executive Director of STEM Up. She has served as a Youth Delegate during Capitol Hill Week and as the Co-Chair of the Education Working Group Committee for the United Nations Ocean Decade Youth Advisory Council 3rd Cohort. Jehan was also an invited participant in the Inflation Reduction Act Climate Change event where she had the opportunity to meet prominent figures including Vice President Kamala Harris and Senator Markey, among others.

Under her leadership, STEM Up has secured over $750 in funding and hosts an annual STEM Up Summer Program, connecting young girls from around the world with a shared vision for their future in STEM. Additionally, Idsassi has held internships at prestigious institutions, including the University of Maryland, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and as a neuroscience intern at Pioneer Academics under the guidance of Dr. Gal Bitan. She has also been a featured speaker at the United Nations Climate & Environment Development Session, advocating alongside the UN Youth Observer to the U.S. and other climate activist officials. Jehan Idsassi’s dedication to addressing global challenges, particularly in the realm of climate change, has earned her recognition, including the 2023 Buford Harvest Outstanding Leader award. As a passionate youth activist, she continues to tirelessly advocate for a sustainable future, inspiring young girls worldwide to pursue STEM and contribute to a more equitable and sustainable world.

Olivia Storz is a researcher, policy analyst, and program strategist focused on expanding meaningful, joyful choices. Her research and advocacy examine how gendered inequality and violence shape social, political, and economic opportunity. Storz is the Co-Founder of the Survivor Fund, an innovative organization dedicated to providing financial care to student survivors of gender-based violence and harassment. This work centers on tangibly supporting survivor joy and resilience while raising awareness about the unjust and significant costs of gendered violence.

Storz is also a program specialist at Futures Without Violence, working at intersections of socio-economic policy, inequalities, prevention education, and gendered violence. Throughout her career, Storz has acquired multidisciplinary experience in a wide variety of contexts, including reproductive health in rural Peru, social policy implementation in Argentina, sexual violence prevention in the UK, and equal pay advocacy in the US Congress. Storz received her B.A. from the University of Denver, alongside the University Pioneer Award. She also received her M.Sc. with Distinction from the London School of Economics. Storz is an alumnus of several programs, such as the New Leaders Council, the Planned Parenthood Developing Leaders Program, and the Peace Corps. She loves pickled vegetables and the acknowledgments section of books.

Angelina Quint is an education and human rights advocate who is passionate about making a positive impact on the world. Born in California, Quint has moved over fourteen times in her life and has had the incredible opportunity to meet an array of different people—each with their own stories, backgrounds, and experiences. As a result, she has come to embrace the true diversity of others and strives to continuously bring all people to the table. Angelina’s lifelong goal is to enact positive global change—whether it be by advocating for the rights of individuals with disabilities, improving the living conditions of unhoused populations, or bridging educational disparities. Beyond her passion for equity and social justice, Quint enjoys reading, visiting coffee shops, drinking boba, and exploring new places.

Diadji Diawara is actively working on expanding a program named Kàara in Mali. Kàara is a project that was first started to help low-income children access tutoring in Mali. Classes were held twice a week and offered students various subjects such as math, French, physics, chemistry, and English. This initiative was started during Diawara’s high school days as she wanted to fight the educational inequalities present in the Malian educational system. Surrounded by struggling families growing up, Diawara believed that every child, no matter their social background, deserved adequate educational support. In a country where the public school system does not break the cycle of poverty, Kàara is engaged in changing the realities of the nation. Diawara hopes to create a nationwide support system for every child in need of a place where their education is at the center and where they will get the opportunity to enjoy their youth by having recreational activities.

Diawara is a current Mechanical Engineering student and hopes to study renewable energies in the future, with the hope to alleviate the energetic crisis in Mali. Diawara was a member of the children’s rights parliament where she fought for years against the abuses perpetrated towards children in Mali. Passionate about STEM and leadership, Diawara became the first female captain of the Malian robotics team where she led the team to many victories and promoted women’s involvement in STEM in the country. For Diawara, giving back to her community is the purpose of her life.

Harmony Hoogs is currently on the board of directors for Here N Queer, a virtual nonprofit dedicated to spreading awareness and resources surrounding the mental health of queer youth. She serves as the Director of Engagement and is in charge of connecting Here N Queer to other organizations that further their mission. The board of directors for Here N Queer is completely comprised of high school and college students from all over the country hoping to make a difference in the LGBTQ+ community.

Outside of Here N Queer, Hoogs has participated in programs with other nonprofits such as Active Minds, PERIOD. Movement, and Running Start. She has also interned and worked at the Resource Center in college, the City of Long Beach, and Rising Communities. They currently attend Wesleyan University and plan to double major in Government and Philosophy with a minor in Human Rights.

Alexia Leclercq is a grassroots organizer, scholar, and artist. She has led dozens of environmental justice campaigns from pushing for loss & damage and an equitable fossil fuel phase-out at an international level to passing national climate and chemical reform legislation and fighting for clean water, addressing aggregate mining pollution, relocating toxic tank farms, and organizing mutual aid. Leclercq is the co-founder of the Colorado River Conservancy under PODER and a climate education non-profit named Start: Empowerment. Her curriculum has reached over 120,000 students across the United States and her work has been featured on platforms such as Blomberg, Forbes, Washington Post, Austin Statesman, and more. She has also won the prestigious Brower Youth Award, the Harvard AOCC Award for Commitment to Educational Justice, and the 2022 WWF Conservation Award. She served as the 2022 UN Youth Assembly Ambassador and has also been invited to speak at various events such as COP27, Global Peace Education Conference, Bioneers Conference, and CUNY Climate Education Conference. Leclercq graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in political science and education from New York University and Harvard University.

Aliyah Saleem is the Founder of Hope for Health & Hygiene. She’s inspired to build a future where no one has to choose between food and basic hygiene necessities. H4HH directly tackles the intersecting issues of poverty and health. By providing essential hygiene products and promoting hygiene education, the organization contributes to improving the quality of life for individuals facing hygiene poverty. Additionally, by advocating for systemic change and challenging the perception of hygiene products as “luxury items,” H4HH aims to create a more equitable society where everyone has access to the resources necessary for good health and well-being. Through this experience, she has come to understand the importance of public service and its power to create positive change.

Saleem is an undergraduate student at Rutgers University Newark, majoring in Public and Nonprofit Administration and minoring in Health and Society. She is a 2023 Rutgers University – Newark SPAA Service Awardee, 2022 Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service Recipient, Johnson & Johnson Pathway to Success participant, Former New Jersey Orator (Plainfield Chapter), and Johnson & Johnson Bridge to Employment Alumna. She resides in Plainfield, New Jersey, and has a history of volunteering for several organizations. Ms. Saleem has dedicated well over 300 hours of community service. She is inspired to lead, educate, and empower others, take on new challenges, and make a lasting impact in communities worldwide.

Nicole Li is a lead organizer of Collierville Community Justice (CCJ), a grassroots coalition working to challenge systems of institutional racism in Collierville, Tennessee. Since its inception in 2020, CCJ has spearheaded several campaigns to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in a predominantly white and conservative town. Such efforts include advocating for the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces, uplifting Black history through inclusive storytelling, and distributing mutual aid for marginalized community members. As CCJ’s youngest steering committee member, Li is particularly passionate about civic education and youth leadership, as exemplified by her role as Founder and Director of CCJ’s Youth Organizing Fellowship program, which invests in the change-making potential of Collierville high school students through civic training and popular education.

As a progressive organizer based in Tennessee, Li strongly believes that contrary to popular belief, the South is not a lost cause. Since high school, she has demonstrated her commitment to building a more equitable South through her experience conducting criminal justice research for the ACLU of Tennessee, volunteering for campaigns to elect pro-choice Tennessee legislators, and interning for Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9). Nicole recently completed a Bachelor of Arts in Ethics, Politics, & Economics from Yale University. For her service to her home and campus communities, she has been recognized as a Newman Civic Fellow, Youth to the Front Fund Frontliner, Invisalign ChangeMaker, Mississippi Delta Scholar, and Davis Projects for Peace Awardee.

Nancy Bosnoian is the founder of “End No Sleep,” a nonprofit committed to empowering high school students, particularly those in vulnerable communities, to prioritize mental well-being through the cultivation of healthy sleep habits. Developing a holistic curriculum that delves into the science of sleep and its profound effects on mental, emotional, and social health; Through evidence-based guidance and interactive mindfulness exercises, their curriculum equips students with the tools they need to establish improved sleep patterns. Bosnoian firmly believes that education and preventive care are pivotal in combating avoidable disorders and diseases from an early age.

Bosnoian is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Human Rights at Columbia University. She has also become a Z Zurich Foundation Scholar, Clinton Global Initiative University Fellow, and Millennium Campus Director Fellow under the UN Academic Impact. Her journey embodies a passion for health and education that inspires positive change.