Today’s blog post was written by Narah Sanchez-Galvan, a senior at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, California. Narah is a member of Ladies First, a club run by Communities In Schools of Los Angeles dedicated to empowering young women and preparing them to succeed in college and the workplace. Narah won the opportunity to have her Ladies First experiences published on Beyond the Classroom through a blogging contest run by the club.

Narah Sanchez-Galvan

Contrary to popular opinion, not all high school seniors have a lot to look forward to. Family has always been important to me, and in the beginning of my senior year my family was struggling with more than we could handle. My uncle died and my father was diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease that was so serious that an emergency surgery was needed. It almost made me lose my mind. The only thing that kept me sane was Ladies First.

I had only known Site Coordinator Dana Henry as “that lady in the Communities In Schools office,” when she invited me to an after-school group that consisted of all girls who discussed topics that mattered to me. We spoke about our future careers, we had a workshop on how to write a personal statement for colleges, and we learned how to create an elevator pitch in case we met a person who could help us in the future. Meeting every week to talk about these and other topics created a bond among us. View full article »