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Empowering young girls to be leaders in their communities and use their voices to change the world.
Our Story
In 2019, one of our Founders, Emma Zubak, participated in the Global Youth Ambassadors Leadership Summit (GYALS), a program that brought together 25 girls from around the world to discuss issues from a feminist lens. Emma and the other participants were able to ask questions to panels of women working in underrepresented fields. During the panel with women in politics, many of the women stated that the only thing preventing them from dropping out of this heavily male-dominated field was having strong mentors in their life to help them overcome sexism. From this, Emma thought that it would be invaluable to convert this concept of mentorship into an organization for young girls. She approached Armelle Balogun, our second Founder, and asked if she’d be interested in starting AEV. Armelle brought her expertise in outreach and lesson planning to help get the program running. As the only two females of 12 Student Government representatives for the senior class, Emma and Armelle have both a passion for politics and experience being in a space where there are more men than women. Through AEV, they are committed to inspiring young girls to run for Student Government positions and understand that they are unstoppable.
Founders
Emma Zubak
United States Chapter Head
Hi everyone! My name is Emma Zubak. I am an aspiring political scientist, and hope to one day be the CEO of a political consulting company that elevates the voices of women. In my free time, I enjoy journaling, reading, practicing my Chinese skills, and spending time with my sister. I am also very proud of my Bosnian heritage, and love introducing my friends to the food, music, customs, and character of the country. I am part of Ambitiously Empowered Voices because I believe in the value of instilling confidence in young girls. I hope to spread awareness on the importance of women supporting women through my work in this organization.
Armelle Balogun
United States Chapter Head
Hi, I’m Armelle Balogun! I’m an avid math and science enthusiast, and I absolutely love watching education videos like Vsauce or Cliff Stoll videos. When I’m not working on math or science, I spend that time doing anything from catching up on some reading, to learning to pieces on the piano. I’m so excited to be a part of Ambitiously Empowered Voices because our organization works to give young girls the tools to empower themselves and their peers and take up positions of leadership to inspire change in their communities. As someone interested in STEM, a male-dominated field, this is a program I wish I had access to when I was younger.