Each week during November’s #MembershipMatters Campaign, we’ll highlight the story of a Step Up member in her own words. Ready to join her as a member of the national network of women inspiring girls to fulfill their potential? You can become a member here.
I have been an active member of Step Up for 6 years – as a mentor in the Young Luminaries and Pathways to Professions programs, as part of the Teen Programs Committee and as a panelist at the annual Career Connections Conference. While Step Up’s mantra is Inspiring Women to Inspire Girls, it’s the girls who have inspired me.
The teens of Step Up are truly amazing – they’re resilient, bright, passionate about learning and enthusiastic about dreaming. Regardless of where they come from, they’re all going places and, with Step Up programming, are poised for success in college and beyond. Most are pioneers – achieving “firsts” in their families, much like I did. I see so much of myself in the girls. We have a shared experience via our upbringing which is the driving force behind why I joined and why my #membershipmatters.
I’m so proud of the girls I’ve connected with over the years. Many ‘Step Up alums’ are away at college – freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors who I still hear from throughout the year. Some have even graduated and are already making their mark on the world. And this year’s high school seniors will be receiving their college acceptance letters soon, a moment I look forward to every year. When they succeed, we all succeed.
Being a mentor has been a profoundly rewarding experience. Not only have I been able to help the girls by sharing my experience, I have also learned about myself in the process. Step Up has taught me that we all matter. We all have personal and professional lessons to share with others. #membershipmatters because it gives us the opportunity to have real impact by fostering confidence and potential by simply sharing our journeys and lessons learned along the way.
So instead of thinking “I wish I knew then what I know now”…take what you know now and share it with the teens of Step Up!
- Lisa Lugo
Vice President, Marketing Solutions, Live Nation Media & Sponsorship
