Still Images
In my new role as a photographer for NYU, I had the opportunity to capture the very first graduation of the NYU Prison Education Program. I truly admire the hard work and dedication of these students and the staff and faculty who have put this program together!
Graduate Roy Burvick chats with NYU President Andrew Hamilton. This is the first graduation for NYU's Prison Education Program.
Roy placed the program from his mother's funeral on a seat at his graduation.
Graduate Khalan Pendelton meets NYU President Andrew Hamilton. The program offers credit-bearing courses and educational programming.
The graduates completed their coursework while incarcerated at Wallkill Correctional Facility.
New York University President Andrew Hamilton makes his address.
Ryan Burrell receives his diploma from President Hamilton. The graduates earned Associate of Arts Degrees from New York University in Liberal Studies.
The graduates celebrate after receiving their diplomas.
Graduate Danis Flores proudly displays his diploma after walking the stage.
The program supports graduates like Ryan after they've been released by facilitating financial aid, credit-transfers and continuing education.
“It feels excellent to graduate,” Ryan said to a reporter from the Washington Square News. “It’s an honor, NYU, the best college in the state. I feel like a king. I feel like a champ. I feel like a winner.”
Danis Flores is congratulated by his fellow graduates after making his speech.
“Today I’m glad to say I’ve got a new set of eyes. After 28 years on this earth, I finally know the point of education and I’m addicted to it,” Vincent Thompson said in his graduation speech.
Vincent shows off his suit under his graduation gown. He has been released from Wallkill but came back for graduation, which he said was difficult, but he was glad that he did. He's working with program staff to continue his education at NYU's main campus.
Ryan, right, also returned to Wallkill for graduation after his release. “We started in the program together, we’re going to graduate together, we wanted to go out right,” he said to a Washington Square News reporter.
Khalan gets a celebratory kiss after the ceremony.
Danis Flores is embraced by family after the ceremony. “I’ve been given a second chance,” Danis said. “I want to make something out of myself. I need to become somebody.”
New York University President Andrew Hamilton chats with Anthony Stevens, a current student in the NYU Prison Education Program.
Graduate Ryan Burrell shakes hands with New York University President Andrew Hamilton after the ceremony.
She's the First Scholar Vicentina poses near her home in Peru.
Vicentina and her father pose near their home in the Andes.
We ran into Elizabeth on her way back home from helping her mom at the market. Elizabeth lives in a rural mountain community, and she lives at the dorm during the week to make her commute to school possible.
Mariela poses with her parents outside their home. She lives more than a five hour walk from the closest secondary school; without Sacred Valley Project's dormitory, she would not be able to attend.
She's the First Scholar Nohemi (second from left) poses with her mother and sisters near their home in Peru.
She's the First Scholars Yaneth and Yakeline wait for all the other girls to arrive for a photo shoot with me outside their dorm!
5:30am: Elizabeth wakes up and starts her day. Here, she combs her hair outside the dormitory's upstairs bathroom. The fifteen girls manage to split two bathrooms among all of them! All of the girls' basic needs are supplied by the Sacred Valley Project, from their housing to their uniforms.
6:45 am: This morning, Elizabeth's assigned task is to rinse the dishes, which have already been soaped by one of the other girls. The girls divide all of the household chores to be done in the morning and again in the afternoon.
Flor Nayda's assigned chore this morning is mopping the kitchen.
7am: Elizabeth washes the dish towels from her morning chores on the rooftop of the dormitory. The dorm is nestled in the Andean highlands.
Yakeline in her bunk at the dorm.
A She's the First Scholar polishes her shoes before heading off to school.
7:15 am: Elizabeth locks up her room, which she shares with three other girls, before they all head to school.
7:20am: If Elizabeth didn't live at the dormitory, her walk to school could take six hours or more. As it is, it only takes ten minutes from door to door.
She's the First Scholars walk to school in Peru.
7:25am: Elizabeth enters the school gates a few minutes early, ready for the day to start.
7:45am: Eliabeth gathers with classmates in the courtyard before school begins. The school gathers in lines for morning announcements before heading to class.
Yessenia listens in class -- she receives a scholarship from She's the First that covers both her tuition fees and all the costs involved with living with Sacred Valley Project - room & board, house mothers, mentorship, tutoring sessions and leadership skills.
4pm: Back home at the dorm, Elizabeth chats with her friend Mariela. The girls come from villages all over the area to live in the Sacred Valley Project dorm and attend school in Ollantaytambo.
After school each day, the girls gather to work on their homework together. From left, Mariela, Marisol, Nilda, Elizabeth, Nayda, and Flor Nayda work on various homework assignments.
Peruvian She's the First Scholars Yakeline, Nayda, and Yaneth make cards for STF Scholars in Guatemala!
Peruvian She's the First Scholar Sinforosa makes cards for STF Scholars in Guatemala!
Elizabeth and Nilda look over notes from the day's classes during homework time. 15 girls live in the dorm together and are all in secondary school - the older girls often help the younger girls with their studies.
Elizabeth works on her Algebra homework in the dorm. Only 3 in every 10 Peruvian girls from rural Andean communities enroll into high school. The Sacred Valley Project makes secondary education possible for young, indigenous women from mountain communities who would otherwise not be able to attend school.
7 pm: After almost four hours of homework and lessons, the girls get ready for dinner. Here, Eli lines up with her classmates for the first course of the night: soup!
Marisol serves dinner to Mariela -- this is her evening chore tonight.
9 pm: To round off the day, the girls finish their nightly toilette, including tooth brushing, hair brushing, and showers for half the girls. The students go to bed around 10 pm, ready to wake up and do it all over again the next day.
She's the First Scholars Mariatu, 13, and Ramatulai, 12, in Sierra Leone, Nov. 26, 2015. Mariatu lost both of her parents and Ramatulai lost her father to the Ebola virus. Both girls are happy to be back in school after a year of closures.
Yeanoh, 15, poses in her classroom. She loves reading, singing, and dancing.
She's the First Scholar and fifth-grader Jelikatu's favorite class is physical education; sometimes she gets to lead it!
She's the First Scholar Kadiatu, 14, wants to be president! She wants to provide free education to girls in Sierra Leone.
Mariama, a She's the First Scholar in Sierra Leone, poses in her classroom, Nov. 24, 2015. She wants to be a nurse when she finishes school.
Monica is a fifth-grader. "I'm very curious to know what's happening everywhere. I want to know where there's problems so I can fix them if I can."
Mariama, 14, does homework in her room. She's the oldest sibling and helps her younger brother and sister with their schoolwork.
Isha's family was displaced by the war in Sierra Leone soon after she was born, and they had to leave their support network behind them. When Ebola hit the country last year, it claimed both of her parents. Isha, 15, is quick to smile and gets good grades. She's eager to be back in class after a year of no school.
She's the First Scholars and junior high students Rebecca and Marian K. pose at their school. Rebecca wants to be a bank manager and Marian wants to be a flight attendant. "I like school because they treat us like daughters," Marian said. "They teach us to be leaders. I want to help other girls."
![She's the First Scholar Patricia, 15, is about to exit middle school for high school. "I'm very nervous because today's my exam to get into SSS [high school]," she said. "I studied both day and night for a month, but with all my effort, I think I wi](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52112a63e4b0e1ee795d59ac/1452807539702-LEADGJX45OQR22IYC3DY/PORTFOLIO_SL_010.JPG)
She's the First Scholar Patricia, 15, is about to exit middle school for high school. "I'm very nervous because today's my exam to get into SSS [high school]," she said. "I studied both day and night for a month, but with all my effort, I think I will pass."
She's the First Scholar Abibatu, 17, helps her family farm everyday after school. Her favorite subject is math and she wants to work in the judiciary when she finishes school.
Seven-year-old Ismatu K. poses outside her home with her book bag. her older sister Mariama, also a She's the First Scholar, helps her with her homework everyday.
I traveled with She's the First to visit their new partner in Sierra Leone over Thanksgiving, 2015. Following the Ebola Crisis—as the nation rebuilds and moves forward—She's the First is proud to support our newest partner, the Child Welfare Society. The organization is based in Freetown and works across the country to provide girls with access to quality education as well as a support system that includes mentors who help them reach their graduation day.
I'm working with She's the First (STF) to raise the annual tuition for our first 10 Scholars in Sierra Leone. STF allocates 100% of all contributions designated to our Scholarship Fund to our partner schools to support the education of girls around the world. Every penny of your gift that we receive will go to an STF Scholar.
She's the First Scholars Deepa B., Durga S., Sarita A., Jharana B., and Sunita S. pose for the camera in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholars Kamala S. and Shanti S. whisper to one another at school in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
The courtyard of Kopila Valley School, She's the First's partner in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar and first grader Pushpa R., right, copies from the board in class in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar and second grader Anisha B. works on odd and even numbers in Math class in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar and second grader Anisha B., right, concentrates on her studies in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
Feet of She's the First Scholar Tika G., right, in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar Robina C., far left, sings along in her second grade class in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholars line up for a game of Red Rover in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar Asmita S. holds hands during a game of Red Rover in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar Jharana B. runs during a game of Red Rover in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholars in Nepal play a team building game, March 2015. Back row: Sunita S., Durga S., Apeksha K., Roshni S. Front row: Purnima P., Aliza T.M., Chandani B. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar and tenth grader Roshni S. raises her hand in school in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar and sixth grader Supeksha G. poses in her school's science classroom in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholars Sarita A. and Apeksha K. chat in their school's science classroom in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar Apeksha K. presents to her eighth grade class in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar Sirjana S., center, listens during her eighth grade class in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar Kamala S. presents to her eighth grade class in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar Sarita S. concentrates on her lesson in her third grade class in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
Students' shoes in Nepal 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar Aliza T.M. poses in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
Second graders line up outside their classroom in Nepal, March 2015, including She's the First Scholars (starting third from right), Anisha B, Ganga S., and Tika G. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar Jenisha S. waves from the Kopila Valley school bus in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
She's the First Scholar and poet Deepa N. poses in a field near her school in Nepal, March 2015. (photo by Kate Lord)
A view of Surkhet, Nepal, home of She's the First's partner school. (photo by Kate Lord)
Kopila Valley School in Surkhet, Nepal, opened its doors in 2010 to underserved children; in a country with a 66% literacy rate, in a region with 80% unemployment, these children need quality education more than anything.
I was sent to Nepal by Kopila's partner She's the First, a nonprofit that provides scholarships for more than 90 girls at the school! 11% of Nepal's population is married by the age of 14, so girl's education is more important than ever as it's proven to delay marriage, which decreases HIV rates, improves maternal health, and decreases suicide rates in young women.
Two She's the First Scholars at Kopila Valley organized a 5K, The Race for Equality, to raise awareness of women's issues in their town. Watch a short video about their experience here!
This post is part of a four-part series about traveling to East Africa this fall with She's the First, a nonprofit that sponsors girls' education worldwide. I traveled for six weeks with STF's Co-Founder and Director of International Operations Christen Brandt and documented the girls' lives at school and at home in still photos and video.
Sintayehu, center, an 18-year-old who has lived with the Selamta Family Project since she was 12, plays a game with her biological sister Senayet, left, and her Selamta brother Dagim, at their home in an Addis suburb.
On the day I leave with She's the First to visit their partner in The Gambia, I'm finally blogging about the final leg of our trip last fall to East Africa! I promise to be better about blogging this trip more immediately!
The final stop of my six week trip with She's the First last fall was to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to visit STF's partner, the Selamta Family Project. Selamta is a nonprofit organization that creates permanent family units for orphans in AIDS-ravaged communities. The organization finds children living on the streets, reunites them with biological siblings, and creates a new family unit around them, with a house mother, an "auntie," and up to 9 siblings. No one ages out of Selamta; the families built here are meant to continue to support one another, beyond graduation and throughout adulthood.
The children all attend a local private school near the neighborhood where they all live.
The Selamta family at Bishingiri house, one of eleven Selamta families. Each house is named for a significant person or place in Ethiopia.
Tizita poses in her home at Gondar house.
I had an amazing time getting to know the She's the First Scholars in Ethiopia. Tizita, above, is a delightfully sassy eighth grader who let us follow her around with a video camera at home and at school, and visited the National Museum with us in Addis (she'd never been either!) It's so much more fun to visit a museum with a student; she was interested in EVERYTHING and had learned about some of the exhibits in school!
She's also the star of the independent film Difret, by an Ethiopian filmmaker, filmed in Addis. The movie was a screened at the Sundance Film Festival! I can't wait to check it out when it makes it to New York.
She's the First Scholar Emuye, right, and her Selamta brother Abel. Emuye is sponsored through She's the First by Wild Sister Magazine, from whom I won a grant that helped fund my travel for this trip.
Boys from the Gondar house play soccer in their courtyard.
A horse and buggy travels through the suburban neighborhood where the families live near Addis.
Visiting each house and having dinner with our students was an amazing experience. In each house, we went through a traditional coffee ceremony (below). Coffee originated in Ethiopia and still grows there in the wild. Each family has a special pot and small coal stove for coffee roasting and brewing. The house mom roasts the beans, then one of the kids grinds the beans with a mortar and pestle, then the mom brews the coffee over the hot coals. These families live in modern suburban homes; if they wanted to, they could brew coffee in an electronic kettle or in a french press, but the tradition of the ceremony calls for this method (plus, it's way more delicious this way!)
The house cat prowls while Ras Dashen's house mom makes afternoon coffee.
Emuye grinds roasted coffee beans in the traditional fashion, with a mortar and pestle.
Roasting coffee beans during the daily coffee ceremony.
Dagim takes a picture as his biological mother and house mother prepares an afternoon snack for all of the kids. The house mothers come to Selamta with their own biological children, blending them into their new family.
Tigist helps care for a neighbors' children after school.
The Scholar that I spent the most time with was Sintayehu, an 18-year-old student who has lived with Selamta since she was 12. She took us back to where she was living before she came to Selamta; I did a photo essay about the experience for She's the First. After Sintayehu became part of a Selamta family with her younger brother, the organization sought out their younger sister, Senayet, and brought her to Selamta as well so the siblings could all grow up together.
Mama Turuye, a friend of Sintayehu’s grandmother, walks with Sintayehu in the impoverished area where she was living before Selamta.
Sintayehu, center, giggles with a friend during Physics class. Each child in the Selamta project is enrolled in a private school a short walk from the neighborhood where they live.
Selamta provides a stable home environment and the support of a family and a mentorship organization, as well as quality education, to orphans who would otherwise be living on their own, often separated from their siblings. After visiting Selamta, I'm hopeful that similar family-oriented organizations will be formed in other developing areas.
To see more of my work for She's the First in Ethiopia, visit their Flickr page.
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This post is part of a four-part series about traveling to East Africa this fall with She's the First, a nonprofit that sponsors girls' education worldwide. I traveled for six weeks with STF's Co-Founder and Director of International Operations Christen Brandt and documented the girls' lives at school and at home in still photos and video.
Rose, center, and other She's the First Scholars play a stretching game.
After a twelve-hour overnight bus ride crossing the border from Kenya to Uganda, then another hour car ride to the Bududa district from Mbale, Christen and I were pretty exhausted... until we got to go to visit She's the First Scholars at school!
The whole school welcomed us with a song-and-dance assembly! These primary students are super talented, and it was the best possible way to be introduced to the school.
Uploaded by shesthefirst on 2013-11-06.
Arlington Academy of Hope, She's the First's Uganda partner school!
Arlington Academy of Hope is She's the First's partner in Uganda. The primary school is dedicated to raising the quality of education in the region, thus transforming the area into a self-sustaining community. In Uganda, 65% of the population lives on less than $2 per day, according to UNESCO. Educating girls and enabling their participation in the workforce substantially raises a country's GDP.
Once the kids reach secondary school, the organization finds boarding programs for them around the country. She's the First sponsors the education of 45 girls with Arlington Academy of Hope! Most of the girls are still in primary school, but some have moved onto secondary school and are working toward their high school diplomas.
Jesca presents in her P3 (third grade) class.
Joan, a P3 student, takes notes during English class.
Muddy boots lined up outside a classroom.
We arrived in the middle of rainy season and the region is covered in red clay - which makes climbing up a mountain path difficult! Most of the kids have rain boots, but some of them walk barefoot to keep their school shoes clean. It was about a 30 minute walk up the slippery mountainside to school from the guest house where we were staying, and further up to some of the girls' homes. One particular trek to visit Betty's family (below) took us about an hour-and-a-half past the school up the mountain. Huffing and puffing, we would occasionally ask the nonplussed Betty, "How much further?," and she'd say, "Not far!" She walks this path everyday to and from school, leaving very early in the morning to make it on time.
Betty (center back in blue shirt) and her family outside their home.
One of our major goals for the trip was to film segments for a promotional video for She's the First's Run the World campaign. Sixth-grade student Mercy, below, was one of the stars of our film and she's an AMAZING athlete. A behind-the-scenes blogpost is coming soon!
Mercy running in the area around her home.
Mercy shows off some of her medals won in track competitions.
An important aspect of the Arlington Academy of Hope, as well as all of the partner programs of She's the First, is the role parents play. All of the partners require that parents be involved in their daughters' education. Sixth-grader Bess's dad and step-mom, below, are a great example of involved parents who want their daughter to succeed. Look at those amazing smiles!
Bess, center, is in sixth grade. Here, she poses with her step-mom and dad outside their home.
I've now visited six of She's the First's partner organizations, but Arlington has the largest group of She's the First Scholars that I've met. It was so exciting to see 35 of them together (ten young women are in secondary school, and we visited them at different boarding schools around Uganda).
The students put on a goodbye assembly for us as well, which brought us all to tears. I miss these girls so much, and I hope I can go visit them again in the next few years and see them in secondary school!
Thirty-five She's the First Scholars mug for the camera!
In the last month of 2013, I was assigned my favorite editorial shoot of the year. For The Wall Street Journal, I spent a day with Amy Dixon, a visually impaired sommelier and triathlete; Lettie Teague wrote a great column about Amy's career as a retail wine consultant in Connecticut.
Amy is training for several championship competitions next year, including the USA Paratriathlon National Championship and the PATCO Triathlon Pan American Championships. Points from these races could qualify her to represent the US in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio! Follow her progress on her blog, The Blind Sommelier.
Amy Dixon, a visually impaired sommelier and triathlete, puts on her swim cap before a light swim workout at the YMCA at Greenwich in Greenwich, Connecticut, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013. Her Guiding Eyes for the Blind guide dog Elvis stays close by.
Amy gets kisses from her guide dog Elvis.
Amy changes to bike gear for the next portion of her workout.
Amy trains on the bike. During each of her workouts, she trains for two of the three portions of the triathlon. In actual competition, she'll complete a 750m swim, a20k bike race, and a 5k run.
Amy tests wines at Nicholas Roberts Fine Wines in Darien, Connecticut, where she works regularly. When a sommelier smells a wine, she's looking for flaws, said Dixon. "You're looking for what makes the wine tick," she said.
Amy has memorized where certain bottles are stored at the shop. She is planning to open a wine bar in Connecticut, but is still looking for the location. The bar will be called The Wine Lab, inspired by Elvis and her early training as a pharmacy student.
This post is part of a four-part series about traveling to East Africa this fall with She's the First, a nonprofit that sponsors girls' education worldwide. I traveled for six weeks with STF's Co-Founder and Director of International Operations Christen Brandt and documented the girls' lives at school and at home in still photos and video.
Makesh, Sumaya, Mbithe and Vianca pose with the "#1" sign, a symbol of She's the First.
We arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, by minibus from Arusha, Tanzania. We quickly learned that Nairobi is a city of contrasts; surrounding the city are mansions and gated communities, but Nairobi is also the home of Kibera, one of Africa's largest slums. Walking through Kibera, I'd see men and women in perfectly ironed suits headed out to work in downtown Nairobi. Many people have jobs, but affordable housing is so scarce that they must continue to live in the slum.
Kibera is the size of a small city and runs like one -- there are shops, homes and butcher shops, and the alleyways are full of neighbors greeting one another or rushing off to work. But the buildings are made mostly of scrap materials and there are no formal systems for sanitation and few sources of clean water; STF's partner, Shining Hope for Comunities, not only provides education for girls, but also has community programs like an inexpensive clean water well and a free clinic. According to SHOFCO, only 8% of girls in Kibera ever have the chance to go to school. The organization's Kibera School for Girls is the first tuition-free school for girls in Kibera.
The view from the school's rooftop playground
The Kibera School for Girls
Vianca, left, and her classmates make "growling kitten" faces. TOO CUTE!
She's the First currently sponsors four girls at the school and they are SO ADORABLE. The youngest, Vianca, is in P1 and the oldest, Makesh, is in P4. All four were champs on camera, and were so eager to show me and Christen they're awesome playground, which is made from recycled materials!
Girls play on the see-saw during recess
Vianca rides the slide with her friends
Sumaya strikes a pose
Makesh poses post-interview (she'll be in two of She's the First's upcoming promo videos!)
Mbithe smiles with her mom, a volunteer at the school
Vianca lines up to head back to class
Our experiences visiting the girls in their classrooms are best summed up by Christen's post on She's the First's blog:
We were able to sit in on a few classes, as well, and let me tell you: These girls are smart. They took a few minutes to help us with our Swahili (see below for a new word they taught us!), and each class had a million questions for us — even the Pre-K! One third-grade student’s question was, “What are your thoughts on the girl-child?” That, of course, immediately prompted a class discussion about how they were learning to be responsible leaders and would one day take over the world. Their teacher asked only that they give her a ride whenever they see her walking by the side of the road; I asked that they keep me employed.
Makesh in class
Sumaya reads aloud
Vianca concentrates on her ABCs
We had so much fun getting to know these little ones! Check back this Spring for videos featuring these four awesome girls!
Clockwise, from top: me, Makesh, Vianca, Christen, Mbithe and Sumaya
Haymakers for Hope is a nonprofit organization that hosts amateur boxing events to raise money and awareness for cancer research -- in the past four years, they've raised more than a million dollars for cancer research! They held their annual New York City event at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Nov. 14, 2013, and I had an awesome time capturing the fights.
Clockwise from top left: Evalyne, Emuye, Bess, Makesh, Tsion, Mbithe, Magdalene and Winnie.
In September and October of this year, I had the amazing opportunity to spend six weeks traveling around East Africa and Ethiopia for my favorite nonprofit, She's the First. STF sponsors girls’ education in developing nations, giving them the chance to become the first in their families to graduate from secondary school. This was my third trip with STF's Co-Founder and Director of International Operations Christen Brandt to visit and document the organization's partner programs abroad. (We previously traveled to Guatemala and India together).
I had four main goals for this trip: shooting portraits of the 86 She's the First scholars we would meet over a month and a half, documenting the girls' lives in still photos at school and at home, shooting video profiles of several of the girls, and shooting two promotional videos for upcoming campaigns.
I was working for six weeks, and there are so many photos and stories I want to share! I'm dividing the trip into four blogposts, one for each country we visited.
We started our trip in Tanzania, where She's the First partners with AfricAid's Kisa Project, a leadership program for girls in their final two years of high school.
Recent high school graduates report on their community service projects at AfricAid's Kisa Project.
Recent high school graduates participate in an icebreaker at their final mentorship meeting with AfricAid's Kisa Project
All of the girls we met in Tanzania are determined to finish high school and go on to have a positive impact on their families and communities; some young women are planning on continuing their studies in university, while others will head out to find their first jobs.
One of the most inspiring young women I've met in any of my travels is a recent graduate of the Kisa Project. Eli lives with her mom in a rural area and had to quit school for a period because she lacked the money for school fees. She's overcome many obstacles, but has an amazingly bright outlook on life. I'm currently working on a video profile about her that She's the First will release next year, but this quote from Eli sums up her life view:
“Life is not the way you live, but the way you handle it.”
Eli outside the home where she lives with her mother.
Eli leads a Kisa class in an activity about creating goals and working towards them.
Teaching mentors from AfricAid's Kisa Project how to improve their photography and video in Arusha, Tanzania. (Photo by Christen Brandt)
The Kisa Project is so special because it recognizes the importance of strong female mentors in the lives of young women. The project has five full-time mentors who guide the girls through subjects including goal-setting, leadership training and computer skills. To help the mentors better document their work, I held a photography and video workshop with them. We worked on composition, lighting and storytelling over four hours in the Kisa office.
Monica photographs her fellow mentors during my photography workshop!
The young women I met in Tanzania are all so focused on their studies and their goals. Many of them live several hours away from their families in boarding schools because quality education for girls isn't available in their region. Yet every time I meet She's the First Scholars, whether in Guatemala or India or Tanzania, I'm reminded of what it was like to be in high school; these girls work hard on their studies, but also have friends and sports and hobbies. They love seeing their friends at school everyday, but are also excited about the next phase, be it college or getting a job and starting their careers.
Charity listens to her mentor during Kisa class. Charity is in her second-to-last year of high school.
Magdalene graduated high school in May 2013.
Evalyne, 17, is a senior in high school who studies history, geography and language.
Flora, an 18-year-old high school senior, listens to her mentor during Kisa class. She wants to be a wildlife manager after graduation.
I can't believe it's been almost a year since I traveled to India to shoot Magho (Daughter) at Shanti Bhavan Children's Project in Tamil Nadu, India! As this year's 12th-graders near graduation, I've been thinking a lot about them and their classmates. The children who attend Shanti Bhavan's residential school (a partner of She's the First) come from families in the dalit, or "untouchable," caste. Had they not been chosen at age four to attend the boarding school, their lives would have been very similar to those of their parents: little to no education, marrying early and having children, working difficult manual labor, and living in poverty. But their lives will be very different - Shanti Bhavan provides top quality education and all of their graduates have gone on to attend top colleges! Shanti Bhavan's goal is that these young people will use their education to change their families' lives and end the cycle of poverty. After getting to know these kids, I have no doubt they will accomplish whatever they choose!
Prathiba: Prathiba will be graduating this June and is headed to college after scoring first class on her ISCE exams! She is HILARIOUS, curious and mischievous. I love when she's reacting to something ridiculous - she has the best scowl! Prathiba showed us all around SB and made us feel at home, even though we were only there for a few weeks. I am so proud of her and excited to hear about her transition to college life!
Vincea: Vincea, also a 2013 grad, has an amazing voice and leads the school's choir. She loves Justin Bieber (as most of the kids do!) and sang a duet of "What Dreams are Made Of" during last year's graduation festivities. I can't wait to see the videos from this year's ceremony to see what she performs!
Preetha: Preetha is completely delightful! She has an amazing voice (she sang Adele’s “Someone Like You” and blew me away!) and is also an athlete and artist - those photos of my henna? She did it for me :) Preetha is going into 11th grade this year.
Jancy: Jancy was the first girl that She's the First sponsored as an organization, so I was so excited to finally meet her in person! She has since gone on to college and is doing really well. Jancy has the most amazing facial expressions - she cannot hide what she's thinking and her look of skepticism is hilarious! She's also an amazing artist - her eye for color and pattern is truly stellar. I hope she continues into fashion design, as has long been her dream -- she would create beautiful graphic prints for clothing!
Maheshwari: Maheshwari is the star of our short film, Magho (Daughter). We attended her graduation last year and spent time with her mother at home in her village. She has an amazing story and was so gracious to share it with us. Even though she was nervous, she was immediately comfortable giving us intimate answers to our questions. She's determined to become a cardiologist, or a biologist, and take her mother with her wherever she goes. She's currently studying biochemistry and genetics in college. I'm so proud of her and so honored to have been able to share her story.
Pushpa: Pushpa is gregarious and hilarious. She's a 2010 grad of SB who came back last year to help out at graduation. She's graduating college this year - and recently accepted a position at Goldman Sachs! One of the members of SB's first-ever graduating class, she and her classmates are setting an amazing precedent for the kids coming up after them; Shanti Bhavan is like a family and when the older students succeed, it has an incredible impact on the younger students.
This, of course, is just a handful of the incredible students I met last year -- they are all on my mind because graduation 2013 is upon us!
We're putting together DVDs and information packets for screenings of Magho this fall at our campus chapters and anywhere else that would like to share Maheshwari's amazing story. If you'd like to host a screening, please email me at kate@shesthefirst.org - 100% of the proceeds from your fundraiser will go to sponsor girls at Shanti Bhavan.
The United Nations declared October 11 the first International Day of the Girl, with a purpose “to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.”
She's the First celebrated with a 48-hour leadership summit for our campus leaders, which included an assembly with the Young Women's Leadership School of Brooklyn, a reception with our most influential supporters, and activities from the Hearst Magazines & AOL Headquarters. Campus leaders from across the nation gathered for two days of activities and workshops planned for the students to bond with and learn from one another.
One of the exciting aspects of shooting with She's the First is the opportunity to work with young women domestically and abroad. Most of my STF work shared here are from projects about girls sponsored abroad (in Guatemala and India), but what makes STF unique is its two-fold empowerment programs here in the U.S. While providing the necessary guidance and support, She's the First encourages American students to create and implement their own fundraisers to sponsor the education of girls in the developing world. In the process, the Americans gain a better understanding of the complexities that lead to poverty and are empowered by knowing that they have the skills necessary to make a positive change in the world. This summer, STF worked with The Young Women's Leadership Schools in New York City, a network of public secondary schools for young women from low-income backgrounds that empowers them to break the cycle of poverty through education (a shared mission with STF!) Many of the girls who attend these schools will be first-generation high school graduates, like the girls STF supports in the developing world. She's the First lead a three-week "boot camp" on social media and completed the camp with a bead-making fundraiser to support a student in Uganda!
I had so much fun getting into the summer camp spirit - I can't wait to return to TYWLS next summer!
GIRLS WHO ROCK is a benefit concert for She's the First, a nonprofit that sponsors girls education worldwide. Proceeds benefited girls from Shanti Bhavan Children's Project in India (where I'm going NEXT MONTH to film a documentary about one of our girls!) This year's concert was sponsored by Umojawa and was held at Gramercy Theater in New York, NY.
'Daughters and Mothers' explores the emerging differences in the lives of indigenous Mayan young women and their mothers due to the teenagers' education. In a region of Guatemala where less than a third of the rural indigenous women are literate, this group of young women will be the first in their families to graduate high school.
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I had a fantastic time shooting this year's line-up for GIRLS WHO ROCK, a benefit concert for She's the First. Proceeds from the event, headlined by JoJo, went to sponsor girls in Uganda at one of She's the First's partner schools, Arlington Academy of Hope. The event was held at Gramercy Theater on June 10.
JoJo brought down the house with her hits "Leave (Get Out)" and "Too Little Too Late." She also debuted the title track from her upcoming album, "Jumping Trains." Eddy brought Southern Rock to New York, while Nina Sky, who enlisted days before the concert via Twitter, had a huge following in their hometown.
As the photographer for She's the First, a not-for-profit that raises awareness about girls education and encourages young people to creatively fundraise to sponsor a girl in the developing world, I recently had the opportunity to visit one of our partner organizations in Guatemala. Starfish One by One works with indigenous Mayan girls in middle and high school by providing tuition costs and placing them in a unique mentorship program. Each girl is placed in a group of 15 and is lead by an indigenous Mayan mentor who has herself graduated high school and beyond. This support system encourages the girls to push beyond the education level that their families could have provided for them. Most of them will be the first in their families to graduate high school, many the first to be educated beyond the 6th grade.
I was asked by Starfish One by One to document one girl in particular - 18-year-old Francisca Chiviliu Quinac. In October, Francisca will be the first person in her family to graduate high school. Amid studying and attending her weekly mentoring sessions, Francisca helps her mother and little sister Brenda complete many chores around the house, from making 70 tortillas three times a day by hand to harvesting corn in the family's yard to washing clothes by hand. I've included a few preview photos from the project below, but will be producing a short photo/video documentary about her to be completed in the coming weeks -- come back to check it out!
I also had the opportunity to meet some of the other girls in the program and their mothers at their homes, and to attend a few of the mentoring programs. You can read more about my trip with She's the First on our blog and more about Starfish One by One on their website.
Dr. Phillip Stover is the medical director of the Franklin County Volunteers in Medicine Clinic in Louisburg, North Carolina. The clinic treats only county residents who live with chronic diseases. Most of the patients are below or hovering just above the poverty line and cannot afford private health insurance.
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On the eve of President Barack Obama's inauguration, crowds gathered in the National Mall to check out the scene.
A Texan woman wears a "Texans for Obama" bumper sticker on the back of her winter coat in the National Mall Monday, January 19.
A street vendor warms his hands as a large group descends on his Obama merchandise on the eve of Barack Obama's inauguration.
Cambrea Sturgis, 9, of Kannapolis, N.C. stands in the crowd waiting to push out of the Gallery Place - Chinatown metro stop in Washington Tuesday, Jan. 20. The D.C. metro system saw record crowds on inauguration day.
A panoramic image of the crowd locked outside of the National Mall at a checkpoint on Indiana Avenue on inauguration day.
Joyce Miller, a teacher from Texas, listens to a radio broadcast of President Barack Obama's inaugural speech and recites it aloud for the large crowd at the Indiana Avenue checkpoint to hear. The crowd, which waited 4 hours in the cold and didn't make it inside the checkpoint in time to hear Obama's speech, stood quietly and listened to Miller recite.
Joyce Miller celebrates after President Barack Obama finished his speech.
Tuesday night, long after the hub-bub of the inauguration was over, the Metro Center metro stop was not crowded at all.
“A number of influential scientists and experts in Asian studies now say that control and management of an even more vital resource – the Tibetan Plateau’s vast supply of fresh water – is also emerging at the center of the increasingly tense political and cultural strife between China and Tibet.”
Yamdrok Lake, located approximately 90 kilometers southwest of Lhasa, is the largest freshwater lake in southern Tibet and, through man-made tunnels, feeds the Tsangpo River.
Panorama published by Circle of Blue, a nonprofit that provides relevant, reliable and actionalbe on-the-ground information about the world's resource crises : http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/world/china-tibet-and-the-strategic-power-of-water/
