Miami, FL – April 25, 2019 – Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program hosted their annual scholarship Graduation Luncheon and award ceremony at The Parrot Jungle Island. Women of Tomorrow operates in partnership with public school districts, selecting girls for participation based on a broad definition of “at-risk” including low income, abuse, disability, likelihood of dropping out of high school, becoming involved in gangs, drugs, criminal activity, getting pregnant or academic, social, behavioral, medical or other risk factors. The program ranges from grades 9th-12th as young girls gain the the opportunity to join the unique program to seek their highest potential. Scholarships are awarded based on grades, attendance at Women of Tomorrow mentoring sessions, and hardships overcome, among other things.

In 1997, Women of Tomorrow was founded by Jennifer Valoppi, as she saw the need to inspire, motivate, and empower young women to achieve their highest potential through mentoring programs and scholarship opportunities. Today, the program operates in 187 public schools across South Florida, Detroit, and Philadelphia. To date the program has mentored 16,000 students however, at the Graduation Luncheon, 700 seniors attended as 172 honorable students were awarded scholarships. World Red Eye spoke with founder, Jennifer Valoppi to learn more about the distinguished program and interviewed six of Women of Tomorrow’s highest scholarship winners. To learn more about the Program read the full Q&A below.

WRE: You stared the program 21 years ago, what made you start the program?

JV: Many years ago, when I was in college studying psychology of women, the research was clear; the real problem with equality between men and women was not so much that men felt that women were inferior, but that women agreed. What was worse, was that the women who made it to the top liked being the only ones there and didn’t do anything to help other women along. I always found that extremely upsetting. Women of Tomorrow was my attempt to change that paradigm.

WRE: What makes Women of Tomorrow unique?

JV: I designed the program to be the most efficient, effective way of motivating positive change in teenagers. It’s based on all the research on women and adolescents that I had studied over the years. As a result, we are a group mentoring program with highly accomplished professional women, in partnership with public school systems.

WRE: Why do you think it is important to mentor, motivate, and empower women?

JV: I once joked that if you don’t care about young people today, you should, because they might be taking care of you in a nursing home one day. I believe if we really want to break the cycles of violence, poverty and abuse, we can do so by uplifting the lives of the young women who will raise the next generation. That’s what we do at Women of Tomorrow, and we have repeatedly found that the negative cycles stop here. Our girls make different choices, they appreciate and value education, they don’t get pregnant in high school, they have different expectations for the partners in their life and eventually, they raise their children differently. The cycle is broken.

WRE: What types of scholarships and awards do the girls earn? How do you chose which girl receives the scholarship?

JV: We give hundreds of scholarships each year, everything from small books and supplies scholarships to the full four years. We also give a limited amount of scholarships for graduate school. South Florida, Detroit and Philadelphia all have their own scholarship committees who review the applications. Scholarships are awarded based on grades, attendance at Women of Tomorrow mentoring sessions, and hardships overcome, among other things.

WRE: Why is this your most favorite event of the year? 

JV: Every year at the end of the Graduation Luncheon, I do a few video interviews with some of the larger scholarship recipients. I am always blown away by their resilience, gratitude and determination to build a better life for themselves. It makes me incredibly grateful to have been given the opportunity to provide a catalyst for change.

WRE: Within the next 5-10 years how do you envision Women of Tomorrow to be an even bigger success?

JV: Currently, we mentor approximately 4500 at-risk girls in over 180 public high schools in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties as well as Detroit and Philadelphia. I hope that in ten years we will have increased those numbers substantially.

I believe if we really want to break the cycles of violence, poverty and abuse, we can do so by uplifting the lives of the young women who will raise the next generation. That’s what we do at Women of Tomorrow.

Jennifer Valoppi

This is an amazing scholarship. This award means a lot to me because it gives girls like me a chance to follow their dreams, even if it’s big, even if its small, just gives them the chance to go all out. This scholarship makes me believe in myself more and it gives me a lot of opportunities.

Dymon Smith

This is an amazing scholarship. This award means a lot to me because it gives girls like me a chance to follow their dreams, even if it’s big, even if its small, just gives them the chance to go all out. This scholarship makes me believe in myself more and it gives me a lot of opportunities.

Kiera Brown

It means a lot. It means that I get to go to college and actually study. It means a lot for my my family because my parents cannot pay for my college.

Stephanie Garcia

Winning this scholarship actually means a lot to me because I will be going to the University of Florida now for the summer semester. Unfortunately, I do not have the financial means to attend but with scholarships like this, it gives me the opportunity to pursue a degree and hopefully major in Marketing.

Ana Garcia

Winning this award is amazing for my future because I’m attending Florida State University and I am in the care program, meaning I’m a first generation college student. Winning this scholarship will tremendously impact my future life and career.

Asia Grinion

Winning this award really means a lot… the scholarship opens so many new opportunities for me which will only benefit me and my future family.

Steranda Laine