History major, Danielle Dickey was chosen to take part in the She’s the First Community Impact Fellowship. The fellowship will provide Dickey with an opportunity to develop a local community project aimed at empowering and educating girls in low income countries.
Dickey will kick off her year-long fellowship with a retreat in Antigua, Guatemala. For her project, Dickey proposed a leadership camp for middle school girls.
“The leadership camp will hopefully foster leaders we will read about someday,” said Dickey. “I look forward to learning from the girls and helping them build confidence.”
The nonprofit organization also provides girls from low-income countries with scholarships to continue their education. She’s the First scholars typically go on to be the first in their families to graduate from high school. Dickey hopes to encourage young women to create better futures for themselves and others.
“I like to learn about the history of women, gender and minorities because those stories are often erased from the historical narrative,” said Dickey. “Young women, especially women of color, might feel discouraged when they see a history dominated by white men.”
Dickey hopes to use her experience with the UCF Chapter of the Young Women’s Leadership Program to further her fellowship. She served for two years as a mentor for seventh-grade girls through the program which aims to equip girls with positive life skills such as problem solving and leadership development..
The fellowship is set to begin in April 2018 and will continue until April 2019.