Growing up in Brooklyn with the unwavering support of an attentive mother, PowHERful scholar Suki Ferguson excelled in school. “Through my mom,” she says, “I learned the value of perseverance and resourcefulness. I felt empowered to aim high and navigate spaces where resources were abundant, though not always accessible to everyone.” Suki was selected for a highly competitive public high school, an academic environment that sensitized her further to the disparity of opportunities available to different groups. She saw clear evidence that “marginalized communities often have to work twice as hard just to gain entry into these spaces.”….

PowHERful scholars told us they like the word 'Resilience.' They like what it means: Strength that bounces back. And they agree: Resilience is learned the hard way, from experience and from surviving the worst. In college, with so many challenges coming on at once, much of what is learned goes beyond academics. There's a tidal wave of organizational conundrums, financial straits, social stresses, and relationship upsets. Scholars are forced to face their deepest insecurities and weaknesses. Every PowHERful scholar can look back and trace her arduous path to developing resilience; two have generously shared their stories here....

Paw K’mwee is taking things day by day: life, she knows, is unpredictable. Paw saw this as a child, when she was uprooted with her family from Burma by sectarian violence and escaped across the mountains to Thailand. For years, the family lived in a refugee camp. And then one day, when Paw was eleven, she and her family left the camp and came to the U.S. Everything in this country—the environment, the language, the culture—was foreign to them. In every direction lay obstacles to surmount. Paw knew it would take relentless hard work to learn to navigate this new reality….

Today, we’d like to share the passionate, full-hearted letter that Naina wrote to PowHERful’s founder after receiving her diploma:

Dear Soledad O'Brien,

I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for the incredible support provided by your foundation. I recently graduated from the University of Connecticut, an achievement made possible solely through your generous assistance. Coming from a refugee background, the dream of attending college often seemed out of reach….

Who knows what the future might bring? For PowHERful scholar Naina Mishra, who spent her childhood in a Bhutanese refugee camp in Nepal, this year brought a B.A. in Economics from the University of Connecticut. It was almost eleven years ago that Naina arrived with her family in the U.S. As she faced the daunting challenges of learning a new language and adjusting to a different culture, Naina held tight to her dream of attending college. 

In our last post, we presented four inspiring women of color who surmounted barriers to make essential contributions to science and technology. Introduced by PowHERful ambassador Deshawna Henry at a recent presentation, these women have reason to be better known. Here, we introduce four more: Mary Beatrice Kenner, Isabella Aiona Abbott, Dr. Patricia Bath, and Christine Darden.

Behind the scenes, brave women of color work to improve life for those around them. This has been true throughout history, as power structures have long created barriers to opportunities for women—especially women of color. At a recent conference of leaders and educators, PowHERful ambassador Deshawna Henry inspired her audience by featuring examples of women of color who, in the face of these barriers, have made unique contributions in STEM fields.

We’re surrounded every day with manifestations of the importance of Black history. Yet just one month a year, in February, we celebrate its importance. This February, PowHERful sent alumna Deshawna Henry to New Orleans to share a celebratory Black history message at a premier gathering of education practitioners and thought leaders.

Happy New Year to all our PowHERful friends! We’re bursting with gratitude for all our supporters helped us achieve this past year. With so much to celebrate and so many to honor, we’re recapping here the journeys of PowHERful scholars and mentors that we’ve shared over the past year. May the passion, creativity, and resilience embodied here inspire us to all we can make possible in 2024!

Through resilience, unexpected twists and ceaseless determination, Dr. Patsy McNeil is living an extraordinary odyssey. From childhood dreams of unearthing dinosaur fossils to saving lives in the ER, from mission work among the poorest in Haiti to a pivotal role in healthcare, Dr. McNeil has fearlessly challenged conventions and fully embraced the unexpected. Now, with unwavering devotion, Dr. McNeil advocates for a more inclusive world—for diversity, empowerment, and the boundless potential of every young woman.

In our previous post we introduced Kim, Sheba, and Tassion and their PowHERful intergenerational mentorship. Kim Bondy, an award-winning journalist with years of success in senior management, has supported PowHERful Foundation since its inception. Sheba Turk, with the assistance of a PowHERful scholarship and Kim’s mentorship, completed her college degree and now works as a TV news anchor and reporter in Los Angeles. Tassion Minor, a recruiter for Stifel Financial Corp., got a solid start in her profession through the help of her mentor Sheba, and the support of Kim Bondy and PowHERful Foundation’s founder and on-going mentor Soledad O’Brien. Their story continues….

Mentorship is often seen as a journey where experienced individuals guide and support those who are just starting their careers. Yet, sometimes, these mentor-mentee relationships evolve into something deeper, more meaningful and enduring. In the case of Kim Bondy, Sheba Turk, and Tassion Minor, mentorship has extended far beyond guidance in practical matters, creating bonds that have become much like those of family.

Soledad O’Brien introduced Kim Bondy to PowHERful in its early days, and she became one of the foundation’s first mentors. By age 30, Kim had achieved a number of personal career goals working in broadcast news….

My name is Ariana Luz Quiñones, but these days I mostly go by Ariluz—it’s a name that suits me. Born in the Bronx and raised in White Plains, New York, I'm a proud Queer and Trans Puerto Rican. My story is a testament to the impact that a perceptive leader and her caring community can have helping a young person thrive. Through the support of Soledad O’Brien and the PowHERful Foundation, I’ve come to embrace my identity, to flourish in college, and to see my way to a fulfilling career of leadership where I can help empower other young people.

Growing up, I always knew I was different. From my energetic childhood to my bold decision to chop off my hair at the age of four, I wasn't afraid to express myself….

A PowHERful scholar shares with us how therapy has made a difference in her life:

“Therapy is a privilege I have been afforded many times in my life. I’ve had 9 therapists since I was 18. This number shocks me because it’s possible I’m leaving out therapists I worked with and blotted out of my memory.

My first therapist counseled me through depression and anxiety. I worked with her and a psychiatrist to see if medication would be helpful.

My second therapist counseled me through sexual assault.

My third and fourth therapists helped me understand my identity as a college student.

My fifth therapist helped me deal with the grief of losing my father….

My first semester at college, I became homeless.

I got my idea of college from movies I’d seen—movies like Legally Blonde, 22 Jump Street, House Bunny, Accepted, and Animal House—so I was not prepared for how different my own college experience would be. It had all started off well enough: I quickly made friends, I joined clubs, and even performed poetry and dance as if I was a Bardon Bella from Pitch Perfect. My off-campus housing situation appeared suitable, secure and rent was affordable—one of my roommates even attended Susquehanna University with me! But suddenly our renter had an emergency and we were literally left without a roof over our heads….

In the midst of the pandemic, with her job becoming increasingly stressful and her mom in cancer treatment many states away, this month’s PowHERful woman of distinction, journalist Mikayla Newton, says her life felt out of control. “I worried every day when I woke up and before I closed my eyes to go to sleep. There I was, in upstate NY at a job I’d worked so hard to find, so far from my family… My life and my work became more and more stressful as Covid spread. Nothing felt solid anymore.”

But Mikayla found the courage to hold fast. And now, four years later, established as a television reporter/anchor for a news station in Washington, D.C., she cannot hide her enthusiasm….

A triple board-certified physician specializing in pulmonary and critical care medicine, Aviva Kamath was on the search for a cause to which she could dedicate her time outside of work. Then she attended a PowHERful (then Starfish) Foundation gala, and knew she’d found it. “After that incredibly moving evening,” she says, “I signed up with PowHERful to be a mentor. I always wanted to give back on a grass roots level and share with high school girls the invaluable lessons I’ve learned….” As so often happens, one mentor is created in the footsteps of another. Aviva follows the lead of the highly revered Sharon Sheppard of Rockville Centre, NY. A nurse by training, Sharon began as a volunteer at the MLK Community Center….

In her speech for Soledad O’Brien’s acceptance of the 2023 Champion of Children award, PowHERful scholar Deshawna Henry shared how she came through an early life of hardship to achieve success in her schooling and career.

“I am originally from the West Indies on a small island called St. Croix. My mom relocated my siblings and me to the United States when I was around 7 or 8 years old. We moved to Orlando, and I thought it was so cool…. Unfortunately, things did not shape up the way we’d hoped. Shortly after we arrived, my mother became very ill; she went on dialysis and could not work….

“When I learned about PowHERful Foundation’s mentorship program during the 2022 Gracies Leadership Awards, I immediately expressed my interest in getting involved to support young women with big dreams.”

Lisa Setyon, a trilingual French-raised journalist, knows the value of mentorship. Currently pursuing a second master’s degree in Data Science and Journalism at Stanford University, she speaks from experience, “I benefited from great mentors. And I have always strived to give back and help support others in any way I can….

It was in the forest of Burma (Myanmar) that Paw Paw’s education began. “Life was hard. I remember when I was six years old, I started school. My school was in the forest. There was no building, no electricity, no desks. We were sitting on the ground. The teacher used rocks as a chalkboard. As a student, I used a flat rock to write on and a pencil as chalk. At night, I sat near the fireplace to see and do my homework.”

These days, post-college, Paw Paw works as a Provider Data Services Analyst at Infosys. With PowHERful’s Scholarship support, she completed the four-year college degree and established a career.