Girls Are Our Future

I believe in taking chances.

In 2014, I took a big chance when I left my well-paying job at a popular retail chain in Los Angeles to move with my boyfriend—now husband—to Davis in pursuit of his Ph.D. I was taking a chance on this new, agricultural university town I'd never set foot in, and hoping I find something more meaningful than retail to keep me occupied.

I muddled about, trying to figure out what to do with myself. In 2015, I took yet another chance on my desire to make a difference in the world: I started an online graduate program to get my degree in library science. Two years later, I got married, which some might consider the biggest chance of all.

In late 2017, a local volunteer invited me to a "Soroptimist Soup Night and Silent Auction." I had no idea what any of that meant, except free food and the possibility for socializing with other women, few of whom I'd met that weren't busy grad students or disillusioned retail workers like myself. 

I took yet another chance and decided to go, not knowing a thing about this organization or its members. It was there that I not only found an incredible group of like-minded women, but true friends. Soroptimist, I learned, meant "best for women," and the club's members meant it: I could tell from their enthusiasm, from the community support, from the diversity of women's backgrounds that they were each committed to making a real difference in the community. How? By bettering the lives of women and girls through access to education and financial empowerment.

The members of Soroptimist International of Davis took a chance on me—a recent graduate, the newlywed wife of a Ph.D. candidate with no idea what to do with herself. They not only gave me a reason to get out of the house on days when I didn't have a short shift at the local library, but opportunities to improve my skills, to help other women and girls right there in Davis. I want to keep paying it forward by taking chances on other women and girls...like my nearly 16-month-old daughter, Natalie Mia, pictured here with her great-grandmother, Reva Sweet, who sadly passed away on April 28.

Natalie was born on January 9, and so in her honor, I'm trying to raise at least $109. That amount could cover a hotel voucher for a woman escaping human trafficking. It could contribute to hygiene bags donated to the local women's shelter. It could be a small part of a big difference: to a high school girl in need of a scholarship, or a woman pursuing her education while acting as the financial head of household.

Girls like Natalie Mia are our future, and I want to prove it to her. Will you help?