Girls Inc. alumna joins board to give back
Daisy Esparza began working with Girls Inc. as an eighth-grader.
“I heard about Girls Inc. through the Eureka! Summer Camp,” said Esparza. “From then on I was involved in many Girls Inc. programs.”
Girls Inc. works in partnership with schools and at its own centers to focus on the development of the whole girl. The organization, with an Orange County office in Santa Ana, does this by providing mentorships, creating a pro-girl environment and offering evidence-based programming, like the Eureka! Summer Camp that focuses on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) classes or the College Bound program.
“Girls Inc. helped me build a roadmap for my future,” said Esparza. “It gave me an opportunity to learn more about career options I didn’t even know about, or an opportunity to experience things that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to if I hadn’t gone through the programming.”
Esparza earned a B.S. bachelor of science in business administration from UC Berkeley and was the first in her family to graduate from college. Today, she is a Project Management Professional financial and operational risk manager at management consulting company Deloitte, where she leads the diversity, equity and inclusion initiative for new hires. And Girls Inc. is still a part of her life. She currently serves on its board of directors.
“Now as a board member, I feel even more empowered and inspired,” said Esparza. “It’s an honor, and I hope to see more Girls Inc. girls on the board.”
Lucy Santana-Ornelas, chief executive officer at Girls Inc. of Orange County, contacted Esparza about the opening on the board.
“Lucy reached out with a phone call, and she said there was opportunity to have me on the board,” said Esparza. “She said they wanted a different perspective, the Girls Inc. girl perspective.”
It is a perspective Esparza thinks can be helpful. Now as a working professional, Esparza hopes she can be an example to other girls on their own journey. As a Girls Inc. alumna, she hopes to demonstrate that she is still learning and growing.
“I want to use my platform to be able to tell my story, but to be able to say Girls Inc. is for everyone. It sounds cheesy, but if I was able to go through the program and come out strong, smart and bold,” Esparza said, quoting the Girls Inc. tagline. “I am sure every girl will need this.”
Esparza credits much of her path to the tools Girls Inc. provided, and not necessarily tangible ones.
“It really comes down to social and emotional learning,” said Esparza. “Girls Inc. gave me the space to be myself, to feel comfortable in my own skin, to be confident. As a young girl, it was really important to grow in an environment like that, because even though I was getting good grades or whatever it is, I still needed that support.”
The programs at Girls Inc. are offered for girls ages 5 to 18 at over 50 outreach sites each year and range from academic tutoring, economic literacy, college and career planning to age-appropriate education on healthy body image and prevention of personal violence and substance abuse.
While joining the board is a way for Esparza to give back to the organization that gave her so much, she also sees it as another way Girls Inc. is still supporting her.
“This is still them helping me, which is crazy,” Esparza said. “I am giving back, but they are giving more back to me.”
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