Girl Up

Abigail Snyder was born and raised in Calera, Alabama just south of Birmingham. She attends Calera High School where she co-founded their Gay-Straight...

Abigail Snyder was born and raised in Calera, Alabama just south of Birmingham. She attends Calera High School where she co-founded their Gay-Straight Alliance chapter, volunteers with Special Olympics and works as a Student Ambassador. She is passionate about advocating for women’s rights, sexual health and education. She plans to major in political science in college and then law school to pursue a career in civil rights protection. She hopes to encourage other young women to set lofty goals and work hard to achieve them.

Akshaya Pai is a 15-year-old from India and is excited to be a part of the Teen Advisory Board and to connect with other young leaders her age. In Feb...

Akshaya Pai is a 15-year-old from India and is excited to be a part of the Teen Advisory Board and to connect with other young leaders her age. In February 2020, she started Girl Up Janaki at her school. Since then, the club has organized fundraisers, a debate, an open mic event, and a few webinars/Instagram live sessions. At a young age, Akshaya was aware that she desired to work with others towards changing peoples' mindsets, taking steps towards equality of caste, gender, race, colour, etc. rather than silencing voices and trying to fit in within society. Akshaya is passionate about girls' education, racial equity, body positivity, etc. and enjoys meeting people from around the world. Aside from fighting for change, she enjoys reading books (specifically fantasy) and writing poetry. She discovered her love for STEM after being accepted as a young member of the New York Academy of Sciences nearly 2 years ago. As an advocate for girls in STEM, Akshaya started the She Shines Magazine, a platform comprising girls, non binary and gender queer individuals, who want to share the stories of the forgotten women behind the scenes in history and modern day.

Alex Gliwinski is a current 2021-2022 Girl Up Teen Advisor from Warsaw, Poland. As an international high school student, Alex is heavily involved in h...

Alex Gliwinski is a current 2021-2022 Girl Up Teen Advisor from Warsaw, Poland. As an international high school student, Alex is heavily involved in her schools Model United Nations and Speech and Debate clubs with vested interest in international relations, governing, and advocacy. She takes heavy influence from such activities as well as her home country of Poland, plagued with issues in gender, sexuality, and general tolerance. Alex tries to be a leader for the generation she believes must take the 'nobody's equal until we all are' proverb, and make it a reality.

Amelia Castillo comes from New York and is a junior at NYCischool. At iSchool, she is part of a number of clubs such as the Glamour Gals club, which a...

Amelia Castillo comes from New York and is a junior at NYCischool. At iSchool, she is part of a number of clubs such as the Glamour Gals club, which addresses senior isolation. She also plays a leadership role in the GirlsWhoCode club and the PERIOD branch at her school. Her interests include addressing mentsrual equity to ensure that menstrutors are equally treated everywhere, expanding the gap of gender inclusiveness in STEM fields, girls education, and addressing senior isolation. She plans on pursuing a major in computer science, and opening a non-profit organization that assures young girls are reading and have access to books

Christine Crilley is a 17 year old Girl Up Teen Advisor from Maryland. She advocates for Women in business and entrepreneurship, climate justice and g...

Christine Crilley is a 17 year old Girl Up Teen Advisor from Maryland. She advocates for Women in business and entrepreneurship, climate justice and gender equity. Christine has served on the Girl Up Teen Board for five years where her passion for women's rights started. She strives to normalize the conversations around gender inequalities that are often dismissed.

Cindy Toh (she/her/hers) is the junior leader of Girl Up Yangon in Yangon, Myanmar. She is a Buddhist, international trombonist, survivor of abuse, an...

Cindy Toh (she/her/hers) is the junior leader of Girl Up Yangon in Yangon, Myanmar. She is a Buddhist, international trombonist, survivor of abuse, and activist. Her life experiences as an international trombonist and survivor of abuse and core values as a Buddhist are the reason why she is fighting for gender equality, but particularly LGBTQ+ rights, women’s representation in music, and an end to gender-based violence. She aspires to become an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) lawyer, which intersects business, the law, and human rights, and plans to continue to play the trombone and fight for equality and human rights all throughout her life.

CJ Calica is a student and activist from Los Angeles. She is a first-generation Filipino American and uses the pronouns she/her/siya. CJ is presently ...

CJ Calica is a student and activist from Los Angeles. She is a first-generation Filipino American and uses the pronouns she/her/siya. CJ is presently focusing her efforts on her community with the homeless and food insecurity. She is a rising senior at Glendale Senior High School, in which she serves as the Head Publicist for HERd Club, a women empowerment group. During this time, she is also working to improve and eliminate the GUSD bias curriculum. The work of Terisa Siagatonu for Pacific Islander/Indigenous rights and LGBTQIA+ rights inspired her, and she aims to make as much positive impact as she did. She joined the GirlUp Teen Advisor Program in the hopes of learning how to utilize her voice to bring members of her community together to advocate for sexual and reproductive rights and societal conditioning.

Denia Smith (she/her) is a 17-year-old rising high school senior and political organizer from West Windsor, New Jersey, United States. She is also a f...

Denia Smith (she/her) is a 17-year-old rising high school senior and political organizer from West Windsor, New Jersey, United States. She is also a fervent and ardent advocate for racial justice, educational equity, and gender equity. Denia is best known for leading a #BlackLivesMatter march in her community— garnering 1,000 attendees, serving as a Teen Advisor at Girl Up, United Nations Foundation, and co-founding the WW-P POC Advocacy: a youth-led organization implementing racially equitable education reform in her school district. She also organizes around national politics with Blue Future + the Youth Progressive Action Catalyst and serves as the Co-founder and Co-President of her community's NAACP chapter. In the future, Denia aims to major in political science with a minor in African American studies on a pre-law track to become a Civil Rights attorney.

Fatima Abylgazina is a teen advisor from Kazakhstan who is passionate about climate justice, women's health and children's rights, organizing multiple...

Fatima Abylgazina is a teen advisor from Kazakhstan who is passionate about climate justice, women's health and children's rights, organizing multiple events for these causes in her community. She is looking forward to pursuing biology and biomedical sciences at university and doing research in the future.
She enjoys tutoring at a local women's shelter in her city, writing articles about STEM, and in her free time, playing on the guitar and singing, but also taking hikes to her local boba shop.

Glorybelle Barrios (she/he/hers) is a current high school student residing in Miami, Florida. A native Nicaraguan, she is a fervent advocate of all th...

Glorybelle Barrios (she/he/hers) is a current high school student residing in Miami, Florida. A native Nicaraguan, she is a fervent advocate of all things intersectional: immigrant rights, racial justice, and climate change. She transcends borders through the power of storytelling and mass organizing- with her favorite mediums of poetry, photography, and multimedia pieces. Glorybelle has coded several platforms- the most notable being an award-winning website called Miami Grants, which provides resources and information to undocumented peoples in the greater Miami area. She strives to be an electrical engineer, while synchronously being the founder of a sustainable fashion business that centers women of color.

Kaitlyn Tran is a 17-year-old storyteller, organizer, and writer interested in advocacy and politics. She is passionate about racial justice, refugees...

Kaitlyn Tran is a 17-year-old storyteller, organizer, and writer interested in advocacy and politics. She is passionate about racial justice, refugees and immigrants' rights, and de-stigmatizing mental health. She has led projects in digital equity and for coalition-building in the Stop Asian Hate movement, among others. She has been named a Princeton Prize in Race Relations Winner and We Are Family Foundation "Youth to the Front" Grantee. She aspires to work in government or conduct political research as a career.

Lamya Butt is a Pakistani student, born and raised in the UAE. Currently serving in Girl Up as Teen Advisor, MENA Regional Leader and President of Gir...

Lamya Butt is a Pakistani student, born and raised in the UAE. Currently serving in Girl Up as Teen Advisor, MENA Regional Leader and President of Girl Up Club Dubai Scholars, Lamya is a passionate and vocal advocate for gender equality. Her international youth-led initiative, Resilient Together has hosted summer programs to raise funds for Dubai Cares and help provide ICT devices to over 20,000 students in the UAE. A SHE Award Young Leader recipient, Lamya has served as Head Girl, MUN Secretary General, Editor in Chief of her school newspaper and has provided policy recommendations on gender equality to the Government of Pakistan.

Louise Sanches is the founder of Oxente Meninas, a Girl Up club created in 2020. Louise has also co-created the prototype of ConectaElas, an app that ...

Louise Sanches is the founder of Oxente Meninas, a Girl Up club created in 2020. Louise has also co-created the prototype of ConectaElas, an app that allows women to conquer their financial independence. As someone who has a deep passion for science, Louise wants to democratize STEM for girls and work towards a path in her community of empowerment. She is also the ambassador of the International Youth Day (IYD) and is currently developing an organization focused on social entrepreneurship.

MaFer León is president of the science club "EPISTEME JAD", member of the Debate Society JAD, Alumni of Women Can Do Perú and co-founder of Grin Sit...

MaFer León is president of the science club "EPISTEME JAD", member of the Debate Society JAD, Alumni of Women Can Do Perú and co-founder of Grin Sití. She is very passionate about history, politics, technology and entrepreneurship. She is a girl who believes in herself, who knows that her skills in programming, marketing and public speaking have allowed her to create different innovative projects for the well-being of her community and be an agent of change.

Michelle Chewon Moon is a passionate advocate for the importance of mental health and gender equality in the workplace. Michelle is an active leader w...

Michelle Chewon Moon is a passionate advocate for the importance of mental health and gender equality in the workplace. Michelle is an active leader within her community and beyond. She has served as a Global Youth Ambassador at Chicago advocating for gender equality and the development of programs that assist young girls with effective mental health techniques, as well as an ASEAN Youth Leader promoting inclusivity and diversity. She is evermore excited to be working as a Teen Advisor for Girl Up this year! During her free time, Michelle enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, doing pilates, and debating in Model United Nations conferences.

Mingxin Wang is a first-generation Asian-American student from Fremont, California. As a Girl Up Teen Advisor, Mingxin advocates for women in STEM, ra...

Mingxin Wang is a first-generation Asian-American student from Fremont, California. As a Girl Up Teen Advisor, Mingxin advocates for women in STEM, racial equity, and disability rights. Interested in pursuing engineering or computer science in the future, she cultivates her passions in STEM as a part of Space Cookies, a NASA-Girl Scouts robotics team, and Superposition, the Bay Area's largest all-female hackathon. She aims to uplift the voices of girls around the world while shaping her community, one small step at a time.

Mofiyin Onanuga (she/her/hers) is a 17 year old STEM and gender equality activist from the United Kingdom. She is a changemaker, educator, and tech-fa...

Mofiyin Onanuga (she/her/hers) is a 17 year old STEM and gender equality activist from the United Kingdom. She is a changemaker, educator, and tech-fanatic. Mofiyin is a Girl Up Teen Advisor and London Coalition Co-President. She is also the Founder of the ‘Teach It In 10’ curriculum and interns for the ‘Yes, 1 Billion Kids Can Code’ initiative, whose mission is to teach over half of the world population of children the skills of the future. Culture plays a massive role in her life which is why she has developed a love for languages, people and different parts of the world. Mofiyin strongly believes in the power of equipping children with essential technology and coding for livelihood skills. She aims to use the powers of STEM and gender equality as anchors to connect as many as she can across the globe. Her Podcast 'Today Is Not Tomorrow' is one platform where she does just that.

Mwansa Thewo is a 2020-21 Teen Advisor, Co-Chair for the 2021-22 class and the President of the St. Ignatius Girl Up Club. She has been a member of Gi...

Mwansa Thewo is a 2020-21 Teen Advisor, Co-Chair for the 2021-22 class and the President of the St. Ignatius Girl Up Club. She has been a member of Girl Up for the past 3 years and a part of the Teen Advisory board for the past 2, she is an advocate for the dismantling of the stigma surrounding mental health in African culture, ending period poverty and the fight for gender equality. She is a social worker for Women d’Or and A YOUNGA youth delegate where she continues to fight for the good of others. When she is not hard at work you can find her organising her life in her bullet journal, finishing up a watercolour painting or reading something about psychology.

Ogechi Okafor is a Teen Advisor for Girl Up, founded by the United Nations Foundation, with successful experience helping to bridge the gender and rac...

Ogechi Okafor is a Teen Advisor for Girl Up, founded by the United Nations Foundation, with successful experience helping to bridge the gender and racial gap in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Ogechi specializes in multiple coding languages and technologies. Regularly leading meetings as the Founder/President of the Girls Who Code Club at her high school, teaching young girls the foundation of engineering and technology through multiple non-profits, and promoting for digital civility and safety on the internet as a Council Member on Microsoft's Council for Digital Good. A strong believer in inclusion and diversity, Ogechi advocates and campaigns for equity issues throughout her school district and community as a lead member in The Student Equity Association on Equity and Access. Ogechi hopes to continue to interweave social issues impacting our global community into STEM and opening up the door for other underrepresented individuals to explore the wonders of STEM.

Rene is a 2021-2022 Girl Up Teen Advisor, student activist, and leader who is especially passionate about advocacy for gender equality and mental heal...

Rene is a 2021-2022 Girl Up Teen Advisor, student activist, and leader who is especially passionate about advocacy for gender equality and mental health. During her time in Ghana International School, she has been a member of the Student Representative Council for over four years and has planned and facilitated over 20+ events and service projects. She is currently member of the 'Young Feminist Collective' and continues to lead diversity and inclusion discussions at her school crediting her passion for advocacy to her female-dominated upbringing in Ghana. Rene plans to use her platform to inspire girls like herself to tap into their full potential in order to bring about significant change to the dynamics of today's world.

Rocío Mejía is a passionate high school student deeply interested in sustainable fashion and highlighting BIPOC talents in the creative industry. Ro...

Rocío Mejía is a passionate high school student deeply interested in sustainable fashion and highlighting BIPOC talents in the creative industry. Rocío serves as Content Manager and Coordinator at her school, where she specializes in conceptualization and redaction. Being a highly empathic person, Rocío understands the importance of empowering young women to stand up for their rights, that’s why she enjoys inviting girls to speak up against gender inequality and violence. Rocío's calling is disrupting the fashion and media industries by informing people about the importance of changing our clothing and content consumption patterns.

Sriya Chippalthurty, an Indian-American high school student, was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She is a junior, currently attending Dulles High S...

Sriya Chippalthurty, an Indian-American high school student, was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She is a junior, currently attending Dulles High School. Sriya is a Girl Up Houston Leader, a co-lead for the Golden Rose Foundation, and a competitor for her school's Varsity Speech and DECA team. Being passionate about alleviating period poverty and advocating for women in STEM, she organizes and plans fundraisers, drives, and rallies in her hometown, encouraging her community to initiate real change for women globally. Her awareness to the gender-based issues women face on a daily basis catalyzed her passion to fight and advocate for a world where every girl is educated, uplifted, and able to pursue their dreams unapologetically.

Subah Saiyara Mahbub is a high school senior living in Queens, New York. Subah currently serves as a 2021-22 Girl Up Teen Advisor and monitors the Gir...

Subah Saiyara Mahbub is a high school senior living in Queens, New York. Subah currently serves as a 2021-22 Girl Up Teen Advisor and monitors the Girl Up New York and Girl Up Bangladesh Coalitions. Subah and the Girl Up New York team have arranged multiple workshops and advocacy bootcamps to create awareness in New York City regarding gender-based violence and menstrual equity. Subah also has planned and executed the spread of the Girl Up movement to Bangladesh and has successfully established Girl Up Bangladesh Coalition. Currently, Subah is training girls in the Dhaka region to be successful Girl Up leaders in their communities. Apart from Girl Up, Subah founded her student-led organization, “Future STEM Leaders”, which focuses on decreasing the opportunity gap in STEM for underprivileged communities and minority groups. Subah and her team are fundraising to donate school and STEM supplies to underprivileged communities in Haiti, Ecuador, and Bangladesh. In her free time, Subah loves cooking for her family and enjoys reading novels.

Tatiana Fahie is a 17-year-old Afro Latina youth advocate for gender equality, community development, and climate change. Born in Manhattan, New York ...

Tatiana Fahie is a 17-year-old Afro Latina youth advocate for gender equality, community development, and climate change. Born in Manhattan, New York City yet raised on the beautiful island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands with a grandmother from the Dominican Republic, she has a diverse background. Since primary school, Tatiana has been an active member of her school, church, local and global community in many capacities from dance teacher at age 10 to Vice President of the National Elementary Honor Society whilst founding and presiding over the EarlyAct Club of St. George's Primary. In secondary school, she founded the first Girl Up chapter in the Virgin Islands. She is a trailblazing ambassador for the Girl Up Latin America y el Caribe region. She is a co-chairwoman of Girl Up's Teen Advisory Board. Simultaneously, she was promoted to the President of the InterAct Club of Road Town, is an aerial silk dancer, and an honor roll student at an International Baccalaureate school. Concurrently, Tatiana serves as the first Youth Representative on the BVI Government's ad hoc Economic Advisory Council which advises the Premier on economic issues including industries, diversification/development of industries, regional and local business opportunities, inflation (e.g. cost of doing business and cost of living), finance and foreign investment, in an effort to ensure that the economy of the Virgin Islands continues in upward mobility and that the Virgin Islands keeps its competitive advantage regionally and globally.

Victoria Ortiz is a 15-year-old advocate for racial equity and gender equality, who ensures her work brings to light the importance of intersectionali...

Victoria Ortiz is a 15-year-old advocate for racial equity and gender equality, who ensures her work brings to light the importance of intersectionality. In her current school, she is part of advocacy efforts to address and combat the racism present on campus, and does so through facilitating student workshops and forums. When she is not facilitating, you can find Victoria working on her photography-- film being her favorite for capturing key moments in time. She hopes to one day tie her background in the arts and activism together to add to the momentum of the current movements she is involved in. The past two years have afforded her countless opportunities to engage with new topics, and she hopes to continue to strengthen her activism through meeting new people, holding conversations, and participating in anything she can.

The 19-year-old, Texas-based identical twins burst onto the scene back in 2013 with their YouTube channel, BrooklynAndBailey. They bill their channel...

The 19-year-old, Texas-based identical twins burst onto the scene back in 2013 with their YouTube channel, BrooklynAndBailey. They bill their channel as being "devoted with all things fun... including family vlogs, college life, crafting, fashion and beauty." As of this writing, the channel has racked up more than 6 million subscribers. Over on Instagram, the girls have more than five million followers on their joint account.

“I’m truly honored to add my voice to the work Girl Up is doing to empower young women and create an entire generation of female leaders. As I’v...

“I’m truly honored to add my voice to the work Girl Up is doing to empower young women and create an entire generation of female leaders. As I’ve traveled the world, I’ve seen the power that investing in girls can have. An empowered and supported girl is an incredible force for change; a change I am now excited to be a part of,” said Cara Delevingne of her new role as a Girl Up Champion.

Missouri native Katherine McNamara is an up-and-coming young starlet who can currently be seen starring as the lead ‘Clary Fray’ in the brand new ...

Missouri native Katherine McNamara is an up-and-coming young starlet who can currently be seen starring as the lead ‘Clary Fray’ in the brand new Freeform series “Shadowhunters,” (January 2016); a book-to-screen adaptation of the bestselling “The Mortal Instruments” book series. News of her casting traveled fast and wide, including Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Wrap, to name a few. The series premiered to stellar ratings, being the #1 series debut in more than two years.

Monique Coleman is most recognized as Taylor McKessie from the tremendously successful High School Musical franchise, as well as the 4th place contest...

Monique Coleman is most recognized as Taylor McKessie from the tremendously successful High School Musical franchise, as well as the 4th place contestant on season 3 of ABC's hit show, Dancing with the Stars. Adding to her list of many achievements, Monique has received two Teen Choice Awards, a Billboard Award, an NAACP Legacy Award, and a Camie for her role in the Hallmark Film,The Reading Room, starring opposite James Earl Jones.

Nigel Barker, internationally renowned fashion photographer, filmmaker, TV personality, author, humanitarian and father of two, is supporting the Girl...

Nigel Barker, internationally renowned fashion photographer, filmmaker, TV personality, author, humanitarian and father of two, is supporting the Girl Up as one of its champions, joining the movement to improve the lives of adolescent girls in the developing world. Nigel is best known as a photographer and judge on the show, America’s Next Top Model.

An award-winning Bollywood icon who has appeared in more than 40 films, Priyanka Chopra is one of India’s and America's most celebrated actresses. S...

An award-winning Bollywood icon who has appeared in more than 40 films, Priyanka Chopra is one of India’s and America's most celebrated actresses. She made her acting debut in the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan and has since won a National Film Award for Best Actress and Filmfare Awards in four categories.

As a Girl Up champion, three-time Olympic medalist Rebecca Soni will go from shattering world swimming records to mobilizing American girls to advocat...

As a Girl Up champion, three-time Olympic medalist Rebecca Soni will go from shattering world swimming records to mobilizing American girls to advocate for the world’s most marginalized girls, particularly in developing countries. “Through my partnership with Girl Up, I’m excited to encourage American girls to channel their energy and compassion into becoming powerful forces for change in the lives of their peers in developing countries,” said Soni.

Victoria starred in her own hit Nickelodeon series, “Victorious.” She played the musically talented “Tori Vega,” who unexpectedly finds hersel...

Victoria starred in her own hit Nickelodeon series, “Victorious.” She played the musically talented “Tori Vega,” who unexpectedly finds herself navigating life as a student at an elite performing arts high school.  Throughout the show’s duration, Victorious was the #1 live action comedy series in it’s time slot on all TV, with kids 6-17, reaching 40.4 Million kids, teens and tweens each quarter. Victorious also won “Favorite TV Show” at the Kids Choice Awards in 2012 and 2013.

Former NFL player Wade Davis is a thought leader, writer, public speaker, and educator on gender, race, and orientation equality. Wade is the NFL’s ...

Former NFL player Wade Davis is a thought leader, writer, public speaker, and educator on gender, race, and orientation equality. Wade is the NFL’s first LGBT inclusion consultant and currently consults for numerous professional sports leagues on issues at the intersection sexism, racism, and homophobia.

Beyond his work in sports, Wade currently consults for Netflix, Google, Viacom, and others to co-create transformative solutions to build inclusive corporate cultures.