This summer is going to be the busiest ever for YouthQuest, so we’re pleased to have Bria Toussaint working with us for the next six weeks.
Bria, who will graduate from Spelman College next year, has already accomplished a great deal in the field of youth-focused nonprofits.
She is the Co-Founder and CEO of GRL-PWR, a 501(c)(3) organization that empowers young girls through activities that promote self-esteem, goal setting and service to others.
During the first half of this year, she took part in an exchange program at Stanford University, where she worked with law students and professors to develop creative outreach solutions to the problem of human trafficking.
Bria came aboard as our summer intern just a few days ago, but her connection to YouthQuest dates back to her time at Freedom High School in Chantilly, Virginia, where she and classmate Royal Phillips created GRL-PWR. They entered their project in the 2012 Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition and won the first-place prize of $1,000 provided by YouthQuest.
Our Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann was one of the contest judges that year and was so impressed by Bria and Royal that she offered to help them take GRL-PWR to other states. The Foundation sent them to the South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy in May, 2013 to teach a group of at-risk young women to be GRL-PWR mentors.
Bria’s summer to-do list includes assisting with our 3D ThinkLink classes for a Boys & Girls Club summer camp in Fairfax County, preparing for our annual charity golf tournament and VIP Reception, supporting 3D ThinkLink immersion lab week and teacher training, and delivering rewards for backers who made pledges to our successful 3D ThinkLink curriculum project on Kickstarter.
We’re confident Bria’s internship with us will be a mutually beneficial experience. She’s gaining valuable hands-on experience in the day-to-day operation of a nonprofit organization and we’re gaining valuable insights from a smart, enthusiastic young woman who’s already making her mark in the nonprofit world.