Maria, a sixteen year-old rising high school junior in New York City, discovered her dream of becoming a math teacher during Girls Rise Up. After spending the summer studying the respiratory system and practicing news styles of dance, she shared “The program changed me in so many ways. It made me such a better person with a better mindset. It also showed me that you don’t have to be a professional dancer or professional researcher, but if you’re passionate and you express yourself and your feelings, you can do anything.”