Our Impact

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.

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 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….

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.