Girls Blog

Experience of Lifetime

My experience in ACT has been rewarding. It has given me the opportunity to make an impact in my community before I leave for college. I have also learned a lot throughout the program about leadership skills and topics such as body image, nutrition, and physical activity. These trainings have made a big impact on me as a person. I use to be very shy to speak in front of a group of people but that has changed now. ACT helped me become more confident in myself and I have no problem with speaking to a group of people anymore.  Read more »

The Work of an Advocate

My experience in Advocating Change Together (ACT) has been life changing. ACT has helped me grow as a person. I've learned how to network. I have become more confident and less shy. And I have improved my public speaking skills-overall becoming strong, smart and bold! Also being apart of ACT, I am more aware of what goes on in my community.  Read more »

A Mother's Day Thought: She is My Hero!

I feel the most secure when I am with my mom. I guess you could say she is my best friend. Without her, I would be an entirely different person. She has molded me to be the Karla that I am today. Every hug, every encouraging word, every scolding,  every minute of her life that she has dedicated to me, dwell deep in my heart and make my love and admiration only grow for her. My mom is my world, my “safe place”, my hero. I am awed by her perseverance and her character during the times where I was convinced that she would give up.  Read more »

And The Money Will Follow

I remember the very first day I walked into Girls Incorporated of Alameda County. It was after my interview and acceptance process for the EUREKA! Teen Achievement Program. I had just completed the seventh grade, and though I was shy on the outside, deep down I was ecstatic about spending my summer on a college campus. Walking into the mid-size activity room was a shocker. I didn’t expect to see faces that I knew, but I counted about five people i recognized. Relieved, I let out a huge sigh, smiled, and headed to an empty chair next to a friend of mine.  Read more »

Overwhelmed with Options

Usually, my teacher starts off English class by making us respond to a topic in our journals. I look forward to what question she has put on the board for us to answer. Some require you to think really hard and others simply ask for a yes or no answer with your reasoning. Today, I was not surprised to see the question. Though it was not new to me, I had to think about the answer for the longest time. It was the question that seemed to follow me everywhere I went, "What do you want to do when you're grown up?" This is the question that -to me- still remains unanswered.  Read more »

Journey from HEART program to UC Berkeley

Reflections from a Girls Inc. alumna  Read more »

Opportunity Knocks

"Opportunity Knocking for Girls"

Girls Inc. regularly receives emails from various organizations with many opportunities and valuable resources for youth.  To help spread the word and better inform girls about the wide variety of opportunities available to them, we are creating a new blog called "Opportunity Knocking for Girls".  Read more »

Girls as Community Advocates

I am grateful for participating in the Girls Advocacy Project (GAP) because I developed skills to be a community advocate by researching, communicating, collaborating, and finding inspiration in improving my community.

The other participants and I analyzed surveys that Girls Inc. distributed to girls in Oakland public high schools to see what needs they had that we could address.  Read more »