Strong Women, Strong Girls is about life changing relationships. Annie, a mentor at Northeastern University, describes the mutual empowerment she and her mentee, Francesca experienced through their participation in Strong Women, Strong Girls:
“In a spectacular twist of fate, as a mentor with Strong Women, Strong Girls, I was placed at a site in Dorchester where special needs children are taught in the same environment as general education students. When I met Francesca, it was clear that she had a disability. During our check-in, Francesca would chime in eagerly, but required help from her classmates in translating her message. When it came to writing journals, much of Francesca’s writing was jumbled and comprised of repeated lines of her favorite Disney characters, Hannah Montana and Zoey 101.
“As the weeks progressed, Francesca’s confidence skyrocketed, as did her progress in the spoken and written work we completed together. One day, Francesca happily, extended a drawing toward me, “It’s for you.” What I saw next was not only unexpected, but brought tears to my eyes. Amidst stick figures and doodles, Francesca had written my name, perfectly spaced and spelled, just below her own. This might have seemed like a small, insignificant feat to anyone else, but I knew what an accomplishment this was for Francesca. Somehow, the girl who often stumbled over simple sentences had remembered how to write my name.
“For Francesca, Strong Women, Strong Girls meant increased confidence and communication skills. For me, Strong Women, Strong Girls meant finding my “calling” in life. I learned that Francesca was officially diagnosed with speech disorder. Many children with her condition are misdiagnosed and mistreated despite being of average, or even above-average, intelligence. With this, my interest in the field of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology was piqued. I finally found my calling.
“Ultimately, I now see myself practicing speech therapy, whether it be at an inclusion school, on my own, or both. Strong Women, Strong Girls helped me realize that my life could be comprised of many more small yet earth-shattering moments, if I followed an educational path that would take me to places where I could help people like Francesca make similar achievements. A communicator by birth, I have now discovered that I can channel my passion into helping others learn to do what has always come naturally to me.”