Journey from HEART program to UC Berkeley

Reflections from a Girls Inc. alumna

      Ever since kindergarten I was a shy and quiet girl. I rarely raised my hand in class and speaking in front of others was always a challenge. I lacked the self-esteem and confidence necessary to overcome my shyness. However, fast forward ten years and into my junior year of high school, I underwent a powerful transformation. This transformation was made possible by HEART, a peer education program at Girls Incorporated of Alameda County in San Leandro. HEART (Helping Everyone Achieve Respect Together) encourages young women to become community health activists and informed resources for their peers. The scope of the topics covered, spanning from reproductive health to healthy decision-making, equips the young participants with knowledge and resources so they can better support their peers who face these issues. It is through my experience in HEART and becoming a community health activist, that I gained more confidence in myself and the little, shy kindergartener finally disappeared. While I initially joined HEART because I wanted to educate myself and my peers about reproductive health, the program’s greatest impact on me was not transforming me into a sexual health expert. Instead, the biggest effect HEART has had in my life is providing me with a valuable experience that fostered my self-esteem.

      One of my passions that I developed during high school was inspired by my high school mentor; this passion was to give back to my community. Through HEART, I knew I could accomplish exactly that. I knew I wanted to work with teenagers and young people who were the same age as I was. I believed that my generation and teenagers in general, were misunderstood and unfairly viewed as troublemakers or frustrating kids who did not know anything except talking back to adults. However, I did not see myself or my peers as these annoying pests. I perceived, and I still do perceive, teenagers as a group of influential individuals who possessed the power to shape and mold, not only their own futures, but the futures of present and future generations. I had a passion for helping my peers and through HEART I channeled that passion into action. In HEART, I was exposed to many leadership opportunities that helped me become a community resource for my peers. My leadership roles in HEART helped increase my self-esteem. I gained the skills necessary to become an effective peer educator and I applied those skills to other aspects of my life, making me a leader inside and outside of Girls Inc. I acquired valuable skills in the areas of communication and public speaking. I facilitated meetings and gave presentations on a variety of issues, from eating disorders to healthy and unhealthy relationships. I took these newly learned skills and applied them to my school life. I was less afraid to speak in class and project presentations no longer terrified me. My self-confidence was rapidly building as a result of HEART. Furthermore, as I entered college I spoke openly and confidently with my roommates and college friends about topics related to sex. By taking both the information and skills that I obtained from HEART, I was able to share important resources and information with my peers during my time in high school and now I have carried those skills with me to college. Through this process of gaining new skills and information, I developed a positive self-image of myself which translated into more self-confidence and self-esteem.

      By becoming involved in HEART and my community I realize that I can make a difference and this realization has inspired me to continue working in my community. Now starting my sophomore year at UC Berkeley, I am volunteering at the YWCA as a Youth Mentor and I am volunteering at Girls Inc. in the marketing department. From my participation in HEART, I recognize that programs similar to HEART give hope and empowerment to young girls everywhere who possess the drive and passion to change their communities, but might not possess the adequate skills and information to transform their drive into action. Therefore, HEART is a vehicle that transforms drives into actions, hopes into realities, and young girls into confident and valuable individuals.