If you can see it, you can be it.
It’s a simple message, but it’s one that Katlyn Grasso wants more young girls around the world to understand — and to embrace.
“I grew up in an environment where I was conditioned to believe that girls can do anything,” says Grasso, a recipient of the 2015 President’s Engagement Prize.
But not every young girl across the country — and around the world — is so lucky.
With the help of the 2015 President’s Engagement Prize, Grasso is sharing her experience and knowledge to help girls acquire the confidence and skills they need to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Grasso founded GenHERation, a female empowerment network for millennial girls, in 2013. GenHERation provides experiential learning opportunities for young women in high school and middle school, opening the door for them to work with female executives at national corporations and nonprofits to develop their own advocacy campaigns addressing community issues.
“The ages of 11 to 17 are so critical in a young woman’s life that you really have to make sure that you are forming healthy lifestyle habits and positive perceptions of your best self,” says Grasso.
After graduating from The Wharton School in May 2015, Grasso hit the ground running. She used her Prize funds to launch a 10-city leadership tour across North America, hosting workshops and bringing her message of female empowerment to cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, and Philadelphia.
“The President’s Engagement Prize is going to be the catalyst that promotes expansive growth beyond my wildest dreams,” says Grasso.
Grasso became interested in empowering girls after conducting research into female leaders in business. She was surprised to learn that only about 5 percent of Fortune 500 companies have female CEOs and that even fewer women start their own businesses.
“I realized that girls have to realize their leadership potential at a young age so that they gain the confidence to pursue those leadership positions later in their life,” says Grasso. “There’s a need for a market space to connect girls with companies in order to inspire girls to do good while honing and developing their leadership skills.’”
Grasso’s goal for GenHERation? Reach 15,000 young girls nationwide. It’s ambitious, but if there’s one person who can do it, says Lee Kramer, Director of Student Life at Wharton, it’s Grasso.
“We tell students from the get-go that they can do anything here,” says Kramer, Grasso’s project mentor. “Katlyn has really embodied that spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity.”
Student
Katlyn Grasso (W'15)
Project
GenHERation
Summary
Grasso is using the President’s Engagement Prize to further her work with GenHERation, a national female empowerment network for high-school girls. GenHERation will provide female students the opportunity to develop advocacy campaigns to address important community issues and positively impact girls’ confidence and personal development.
Frimpong is establishing the Tarkwa Breman Model School for Girls and Community Clinic in his poverty-stricken home village of Tarkwa Breman, Ghana. The school and clinic will also serve citizens in the surrounding seven villages.
Feinberg is designing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation model for home care, with the support of the New York University Langone Medical Center and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York.
Lievano and Lisle are developing and implementing Everwaters, a rainwater catchment and purification system and Kimana, Kenya. Once they install the system, Lievano and Lisle will engage the Kimana community through ongoing support and education.
Grasso is using the President’s Engagement Prize to further her work with GenHERation, a national female empowerment network for high-school girls. GenHERation works to positively impact girls’ confidence and personal development.