Guest post by Girl Scout Ria, who attended “The Power of the Educated Girl” at the Apollo Theater
On
Tuesday, September 28, I had the privilege of attending a seminar on “The Power
of the Educated Girl” at the Apollo Theater, hosted by Sophia Bush and Glamour Magazine. I was part of an
audience of 1,000 girls from different girl organizations around New York. The
guest speakers were First Lady Michelle Obama, actress Charlize Theron, Former
Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard, and Nurfahada, a 16-year-old
missionary from the Philippines. This panel of amazing women spoke to us about
the importance of girls being educated.
Being
in the same room as those incredible women felt like a dream. They were so
inspirational and real. They spoke to us like they were speaking to their
daughters. They taught us that education is one of the most important things in
your life, that we have the power to succeed and we deserve a rewarding future.
The more educated girls are, the better they are at resolving conflicts and
supporting other religions and beliefs, and the more likely they are to have an
educated family. Listening to First Lady Michelle Obama share about how she grew
up, the opportunities she had, and how she fought for her education was
inspiring. She told us that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. She
taught us to be true to ourselves. Charlize Theron spoke about growing up in a
small town, and breaking down barriers to make a better future for the women of
South Africa. Nurfahada was also so inspiring to me. She is just 16, yet she’s
traveling the world, talking about young girls in the Philippines who have
nothing and can’t speak for themselves.
There
are so many girls around the world who don't have an education because their
countries or cultures teach that only boys should be educated. The big message from
this panel was that girls should be just as educated as boys, if not more. I
learned that it’s equally important for girls to take control and stand up for
education. Did you know that there are 62 million girls around the world who
will not get an education? The “Let Girls Learn” campaign is about providing
girls with the materials that they need so that they can receive an education
and get opportunities in life.
I
think everyone in the audience left the seminar smarter, stronger, and
inspired. I also learned something about myself: I learned how lucky I am to be
living in the United States, where everyone has access to an education. I also
learned that by going to school and making myself a better person, I can help
so many other girls around the world so we can make it a better place to live
for all of us.