On Thursday, April 4, 2024, Amplify Her® Foundation, a private grantmaking foundation, hosted a unique college exploration day at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, in coordination with Foundation grantee partners Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, Seeds of Fortune and Student Leadership Network. They were also joined by the Girls Scouts of Greater New York. 20 girls from these organizations, including students from the Young Women’s Leadership School of the Bronx, a single-sex public school, explored the academic and professional opportunities afforded by a United States service academy. The event was the first in the Foundation’s “If She Can Make it Here” Leadership Series.
Amplify Her Foundation partners with organizations that help women and girls from underserved communities to become transformative changemakers. With the grantee partners’ focus on supporting girls on a path to leadership and West Point’s long history of producing exceptional leaders, the day was specifically tailored to address the questions and goals of girls exploring higher education and considering a career in public service.
The students, grades 9-11, toured the institution’s state-of-the-art facilities, including using a flight simulator, attended classes taught by distinguished women faculty members alongside cadets and gained insight into the rigorous academic programs and leadership training available at West Point.
“The U.S. Military, and specifically the U.S. Service Academies, provide incredible access to educational and professional opportunities for young women in the U.S. No matter what your background, there is a place for everyone at West Point. I hope the visit to West Point inspired these girls to pursue higher education and open their eyes to a world of possibilities, adventure, and opportunities to serve their country,” said Maj. Maia Molina-Schaefer, assistant professor of French and officer-in-charge of the Corbin Women’s Leadership Forum at West Point. “My incredible career in the Armed Services has allowed me to hold key leadership positions in the Middle East and Africa, including spearheading Women, Peace, and Security efforts in Niger and the U.S. Armed Forces. I am honored to be a part of this important day lifting up the next generation of women so they are afforded the same opportunities and can pursue fulfilling and meaningful careers.”
In its 2023 grant cycle, Amplify Her Foundation focused on advancing the leadership of women and girls. Three grantee partners, Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, Seeds of Fortune and Student Leadership Network are bringing girls they serve to the event at West Point as part of their work lifting up the next generation of women leaders.
Bella Abzug Leadership Institute’s mission is to inspire young women to become effective, dynamic and visionary 21st century leaders as well as active and creative participants in civic, political, corporate and community life. BALI works with high-achieving, low-income and under-served female-identifying gender-expansive youth.
Seeds of Fortune is the largest non-profit EdTech platform dedicated to matching young women of color to education, finance and career opportunities to support them on their first steps toward economic security. They focus on access to an affordable college education and economic information, scalable and accessible career opportunities and access to social capital.
The Student Leadership Network was founded in 1996 when The Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem opened, the first public all-girls school to open in the United States in 30 years. The success of the New York City TYWLS have since inspired dozens of single-gender Young Women’s Leadership Network schools to open nationwide.
To enhance access to this unique opportunity, Amplify Her Foundation is also partnering with Girl Scouts of Greater New York. The Girl Scouts of Greater New York envision a city in which every Girl Scout feels empowered to lead in their community, the workplace and the world.
Amplify Her® Foundation will announce their 2024 grantees on October 11, 2024, Give to Women and Girls Day. The announcement will come at an event in New York City, hosted by the Foundation in partnership with the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Lilly School of Philanthropy, the creators of the national awareness campaign to increase funding for organizations supporting women and girls. Last year’s event honored “Me Too” movement founder Tarana Burke and featured remarks by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
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About Amplify Her® Foundation
Amplify Her® Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation that supports women and girls from underserved communities in New York City to become transformative changemakers. They envision a world where all women have the voice, power and agency to drive systemic change. Using trust-based, participatory grantmaking, the foundation infused $1,000,000 into the non-profit, women’s leadership ecosystem in New York City in its 2023 inaugural grant cycle. To learn more, please visit amplifyherfoundation.org.
About West Point
The U. S. Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, co-educational, federal service academy located 50 miles north of New York City. It was founded in 1802 as America’s first college of engineering and continues today as the world’s premier leader-development institution, consistently ranked among top colleges in the country. Its mission is to build, educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets to be commissioned leaders of character committed to the Army Values and ready for a lifetime of service to the Army and Nation. For more information, please visit westpoint.edu.
