Celebrateing 25 years of mentorship
To celebrate 25 years of mentorship, Step Up announced the 25 mentors of the year at Los Angeles’ Inspiration Awards. There were four categories for nomination – Start Exploring, Build Skills, Cultivate Community and Take Action. These mentors were chosen for their service as role models, trail blazing their way to their unique idea of success. Some very notable names that made the list being Reese Witherspoon, Serena Williams, and Mindy Kaling. Step Up is also thrilled to announce our 25 Next Gen Leaders at the upcoming Chicago Inspiration Awards November 16th.
Inspired at IA LA
Los Angeles Inspiration Awards were a sweeping success! For the first time since 2019, the Step Up community gathered to raise funds to continue to drive our mission to help girls define and achieve their unique vision of success. This year, we raised an all-time Inspiration Awards high of $600,000 and hosted over 400 guests. The event was full of networking, impactful speeches from our honorees, brands we all know and love and so much more. Here is a quote from fellow Katherine Trujillo, "It was such an amazing event! I loved seeing my Gertz girls be confident and excited about being in Step Up! I loved making connections with everyone at the event.” To check out all the details and photo highlights, check out our Instagram@stepupwomensnetwork.
Explore Pathways with CNA
On International Day of the Girl, CNA Insurance hosted an Explore Pathways field trip to their offices for 18 Argo High School students in Chicago. The afternoon was filled with an office tour, where teens got to learn about the roles of different departments at CNA, speed networking with CNA team members, and a "hands on" skill building activity. During the activity, teens were challenged to design and build a physical structure for a business in downtown Chicago using the skills they learned from the afternoon. At the end of the day, teens presented their buildings to the group, and CNA team members shared whether or not they would decide to insure the building. It was a great way to show teens the many career possibilities at CNA. Team members Maya, Morgan and Sana supported this engaging program.
Hello from our Fellows
Zofia Remiasz
Role at school: School Counselor
Number of years at school: 3
SU-Why do you think Step Up on Campus is a good fit for Argo?
ZR-Our school has a lot of clubs and activities but nothing focused on the individual growth and planning. Step Up feels like an extension of being a school counselor in a more personal setting with students who are interested and not required to participate in their futures.
SU-Why did you decide to become a fellow?
ZR-As mentioned, it feels like an extension of my chosen career to work with students on self-discovery and post-secondary planning.
SU-How did you recruit students for the program?
ZR-We pushed into freshman and heavily female PE courses to communicate what Step Up is and the impact it could have. Additionally, word of mouth helped to encourage students from others who enjoyed it last year.
SU-What are you most looking forward to as a fellow this semester?
ZR-I’m excited to build relationships with the students!
SU-Anything else you want to share with our school partners around the country?
ZR-It’s been a great experience thus far and my favorite part has been presenting information to kids that they’ve never thought about before!
Geia Wilkinson
Role at school: Program Lead
Number of years at school: 7 (Months)
SU-Why do you think Step Up on Campus is a good fit for Alliance ESAT?
GW-The students on our campus are incredibly curious about career exploration. They think first before taking action and prefer to plan things out. Step-Up gives them the opportunity to exercise the skills they already have as well as explore new ones.
SU-Why did you decide to become a fellow?
GW-I wanted to be part of an organization that emphasizes the power of women and those who identify with girlhood. It’s an inclusive, empowering environment for both it’s fellows and it’s students.
SU-How did you recruit students for the program?
GW-We did a lunch recruitment and club rush, providing small games, prizes, and informational flyers for the students.
SU-What are you most looking forward to as a fellow this semester?
GW-I’m looking forward to getting to know the students on our campus better. My hope is that I provide the help I needed when I was younger.
SU-Anything else you want to share with our school partners around the country?
GW- Step-Up has given our students the opportunity to be open with each other about their struggles, hopes, and dreams. It’s been amazing to see them grow in such a small amount of time.
