Meet Alina, a rising high school freshman from Girls Inc. of the Washington, DC  Metropolitan area who embodies what it means to be strong, smart, and bold. She first discovered Girls Inc. in the sixth grade where she attended their summer program. What began as themed weeks filled with career exploration and hands-on learning opportunities has since grown into a journey that shaped her confidence, friendships, and dreams for the future. 

She remembers her first day like it was yesterday, a room with eight girls, and energetic facilitators, who made her feel instantly at home. “I loved the environment right away,” she recalled. “We were greeted by Ms. Brandy who had the biggest smile, and I immediately connected with my best friend Pearl. We were creating vision boards and Pearl, and I noticed we were laying out our boards with the same exact things.”  

Alina particularly enjoyed the themed weeks where they learned about entrepreneurship, and building ideas from scratch, noting that the facilitators made everything feel possible. 

Alina learned the ins and outs of designing, pitching and presenting business ideas. She explored cybersecurity, engineering, and the sciences building a portable satellite. However, her favorite moment was in learning about the NICU. During this experience she got to use an ultrasound machines to identify bone structure and muscle tissue, and even got to use the machine on an expecting nurse. The experience opened her eyes to the power of technology in healthcare and helped her imagine a future where she could do that work professionally. “From that moment I decided I wanted to be a sonographer and work with babies.”  

Beyond having real work experiences with sonography, finger printing and more, Alina credits Girls Inc. with helping her grow personally, especially in confidence, emotional intelligence, and self-advocacy. “Before joining Girls Inc., I was quiet and hesitant. Now, I’m a confident public speaker certain about my path forward and ready to lead. Girls Inc. taught me that taking risks opens doors to new opportunities and I’m ready to take those opportunities on. I’m strong because I take risks. I’m smart because I multitask. I’m bold because I’m not afraid to try new things, fail, and try again.” 

Today, her goals are as big as all the possibilities that await her. Alina aims to compete in the Olympics for track, study sonography or software engineering, and eventually become a small business owner. And through every step, she sees Girls Inc. as the source that encouraged her to envision and pursue all her desires. 

“Girls Inc. changed the way I see myself and my future,” she said. “Because of them, I know I can try anything. I don’t have to choose just one path.” 

Her story is a testament to the power of providing girls with hands-on experiences, supportive mentors, and a community that believes in their potential. Girls Inc. isn’t just preparing her for the road ahead—she’s already running it, full speed.