Inner Radiance and Self-Empowerment Headline the Fourth Annual Girl emPower Summit
The Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls (LCWAG) is proud to announce its fourth annual Girl emPower Summit, presented by Amazon Web Services (AWS). This transformative event will take place at the Northern Virginia Community College’s Loudoun Campus on Saturday, September 23, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Girls aged 12-18 are cordially invited to join, bring along a friend, and immerse themselves in interactive sessions, all under this year’s enlightening theme: Inner Radiance and Self-Empowerment.
Headlining this year’s Summit will be 19-year-old author and entrepreneur Alana Andrews, who is a 2022 graduate of Potomac Falls High School in Sterling. Andrews is entering her sophomore year at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, as she also continues to grow her two businesses, The SWEY Corporation and So Positive, LLC.
Other speakers include Shreyaa and Esha Vankat of NEST4US, Rhonda Wilson of Exhale Yogi, and the team from Girls on the Run Northern Virginia, who will lead empowering, interactive sessions. The Summit will be moderated by former Miss Virginia Volunteer Breana Turner, who also founded the mentoring program Sisters With Ambition.
Register and discover more at LCWAG.org/register.
The Summit emerges at a pivotal moment. Numerous organizations are raising awareness about alarming trends in teen mental health, particularly among girls. A recent CDC survey highlighted that a staggering 57% of high school girls experienced “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” in the past year, a significant rise from 36% in 2011.
Crafted by young women, for young women, the Girl emPower Summit is a beacon of inspiration, collaboration, and community strength. As a testament to its impact, 100% of last year’s attendees walked away feeling more confident about their future aspirations.
High school junior, Mahsa Riar, the Summit’s chair and principal youth organizer, is passionate about outdoing last year’s success. She was recently featured on WUSA-9’s Great Day Washington, where she spoke about the importance of the Summit.
“In a world where young girls grapple with shadows of self-doubt, our mission is to ignite the inner radiance that empowers them forward. We are committed to crafting spaces where every girl can rise, connect, and shine,” she shared. “Building upon our past achievements, we look forward to a future where every girl acknowledges her boundless potential.”
All middle and high school girls can register free of charge. Early bird registration is currently open, and grants attendees more opportunities for door prizes.
LCWAG is honored to have AWS InCommunites return for their fourth year as its key sponsor, ensuring the Summit remains free for attendees.
“We’re inspired by LCWAG’s passion to educate and empower young women and thrilled to continue to support the Girl emPower Summit,” said Sarah Georgiades, Heads of AWS InCommunities for the America’s. “At AWS, we believe deeply in supporting young women and ensuring they have opportunities to build confidence and leadership skills, have role models, and learn about a variety of career paths.”
To increase access to this year’s Summit, bus transportation is available from centralized pickup locations at Belmont Ridge Middle School and Park View High School. Beyond programming, attendees can anticipate lunch, snacks, swag bags, and enticing door prizes, courtesy of our generous sponsors and community allies.
This year’s lineup of interactive sessions includes:
Igniting Your Inner Spark: STEM For Change: A dive into STEM fields to unlock unique capabilities, proudly sponsored by Amazon Web Services.
Leading with Radiance: A deep dive into leadership, societal change, public speaking, and more.
Painting Your Power: Harness the power of art to express oneself and understand emotional intelligence.
Star Power; Self-Talk, and Finding Balance: Equip oneself with confidence, positivity, and balance techniques.
Additionally, LCWAG is excited to welcome 100WomenStrong as this year’s Gold Sponsor, bringing prominent female leaders from Loudoun's business community into the Summit.
“100WomenStrong is so proud to support LCWAG and their mission to empower the future generation of women, particularly with the alarming increase in teen mental health issues,” 100WomenStrong Managing Director Pam Ray said. “The Girl emPower Summit is a beacon of light and inspiration to those who attend.”
Additional benefactors include Bronze Sponsors Backflow Technology and Orblynx Academy, Supporting Sponsors the Women’s CEO Business School and POUNCE Solutions, and Community Sponsor You’ve Got Maids Northern Virginia and Women and Girls Inspiring STEM Excellence (WISE).
Opportunities abound for additional sponsors, partners, vendors, and door prize contributors for the 2023 Girl emPower Summit. For collaboration inquiries, please reach out to empower@lcwag.org.
To register this empowering journey, please sign up now at LCWAG.org/register.