Empowered Women, Empower Young Women

What an impactful day we embarked on today! This morning our cohort had an opportunity to meet a panel of extraordinary women at the Rotary of St. Croix.  We were honored by the presence of Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett of St. Croix, the First Lady of the Virgin Islands, Yolanda Bryan, Dr. Brittany Dawson, District Governor of Rotary Deborah Howell, Judge Patricia Steele, and Culture Bearer, Gerard Leung, and many more powerful women. I loved being able to listen to the stories of these women. Many of the stories had a similar message, which was that you don't have to have everything figured out today, but if you keep making progress towards any positive goal, everything will turn out they way it's supposed to for you. You will in fact be right where you are supposed to be on your path. After hearing so many powerful women confirm that message, I felt a sense of relief. It made me feel confident about the journey I am taking and reduced the pressure that I have to figure it all out at 15 years old.

After we connected with the women, we continued to an adventure at Buck Island. During our time at Buck Island, we started with a snorkeling tour of the reef. Getting used to not being able to breathe through my nose was challenging, but after some time, I could do it with much more ease. During our snorkeling tour, we were able to see so many fish and coral and I was glad that I had overcome the breathing technique. After snorkeling, we went to the beach of Buck Island. The water was the most beautiful blue I had ever seen and the sand was so soft.  It was definitely the best beach we visited the entire trip. Overall, I loved our 3rd day in St. Croix.

Elicia Lee
​Cohort 2022

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