Read on as several young women provide first-hand accounts of how the Young Women's Leadership Corps program empowered and equipped them with the skills to successfully pursue their dreams and reach their goals:

Rose participated in the YWLC program when it first launched in the fall of 2001. A struggling sophomore at Hartford High School, Rose was seeking the tools and inspiration to create a better future. Through the program, she became an active community member, volunteering for several projects and applying for a Summer Youth Employment and Training Program with a YWCA partner. Impressed with her work in the training program, The Hartford Guides hired Rose as a part-time employee.

Rose continued to develop her leadership skills by becoming a member of the YWLC Student Advisory Board and participating in the first Youth Leadership Summit in California. She also became one of the first YWLC graduates to receive a $500 scholarship through the YWCA of the USA/PepsiCo partnership.

Rose now attends the American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts, with an additional scholarship award from the college to pursue a degree in criminal justice and psychology. She was the only student from her 6th grade class to graduate from high school and the first person in her family to pursue higher education.

Lucynette (known to her friends as Lucy) is a senior at Albert I. Prince Tech High School in Hartford. She participated in YWLC's six-week, bi-weekly summer program, hoping to become the first in her family to complete high school. "None of my immediate family members have [graduated] -- they all dropped out," she said. "My mom only completed ninth grade." After taking part in a college exploration tour to Wesleyan University in Middletown, Lucy was hooked. She knew Wesleyan was one of her top-choice colleges and was determined to work hard toward her goal. Lucy began participating in Career Beginnings, and she secured a mentor to help her prepare her Wesleyan application.

Lucy credits YWLC with helping her build a sound foundation on life design and goal setting. "[YWCA's youth development director] is a great role model, and I have learned a lot from her," Lucy said. "She has helped me help myself." Today, Lucy is on her way to realizing her goal of graduating from high school and attending college, a first for her family.

Sushane participated in YWLC in the spring of 2005, when she was a sophomore at Classical Magnet High School in Hartford. She gave the program her all and had nearly perfect attendance, kept a portfolio, filled all journal entries and played an active role in more than the required number of community service opportunities. Sushane also took the lessons of effective communication, employability readiness and team-oriented activities to heart. As a result, she showed tremendous growth from session to session and successfully completed the program with more than 60 hours of community service learning credits.

Eager to put the skills and tips she learned to use, Sushane recently pursued a part-time job at Seabury Retirement Community in Bloomfield. She depended on the job interview and wardrobe advice she gained in the YWLC program and used the YWCA Youth Development Director as a reference. She provided sound feedback to the Director of Human Resources, and Sushane was offered the job! The self-confidence, poise and community-based experiences she gained through YWLC had thoroughly impressed her new employer.