Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey—these are some of the most successful woman of our time, and they’re all women of color. These ladies weren’t born successful. In fact, they had to work really hard to get to where they are. That’s why here at Miami High, we have a club dedicated to guiding ambitious young women and cultivating the female leaders of tomorrow.

Women of Tomorrow (WOT) is a mentor and scholarship program that provides at-risk high school girls the skills to succeed in life. WOT motivates, inspires, and empowers. The program is all about women helping women realize their potential.

The advisor for Miami High’s WOT is medical skills teacher Ms. Turner who feels proud to be in charge of such an independent and intelligent group of young ladies.

“When I became an advisor for this club, I never imagined the impact they would all have on my life,” says Ms. Turner. She enjoys being able to give advice to the girls and see the changes they go through from when they first walk in the door to the moment they graduate.

President Linda Waters decided to become president because she’s been in the club for 4 years now and has learned some strategies from the previous presidents to make this school year a memorable experience.

She has a lot of goals for this year: 1.) to gain more members; 2.) to get the members to connect more with their thoughts and emotions by keeping a journal and having more time for inner peace; 3.) to view the different stages a lady goes through in her life and hear all the beautiful accomplishments; and 4.) to continue empowering one another.

The other officers are also looking forward to an amazing year with WOT. Vice-President Jenna Turner, who happens to be Ms. Turner’s daughter, is looking forward to getting more members, field trips, and more school-related activities.

Jenna says, “I love Women of Tomorrow because it shows me how to find myself and teaches me about different expectations from different people. I enjoy when the mentors talk to us about topics like friendships and relationships.”

There’s a lot to like about being in WOT. Secretary Monique Gray is grateful for the fact that the club has helped her embrace herself and become a unique individual confident in the decisions that she makes.

Junior Joselyn Zamora, who’s been a member for almost 2 years, says, “This club has given me skills that I can use in the real world, like social skills and how to be more professional.”

The members meet once a month with their mentors, who are assigned to our school through the MDCPS district. The mentors come in with a new topic every day, including how to deal with negative relationships, dealing with school and stress, social skills like talking with people, etc. The WOT members then meet up with Ms. Turner that same month and go over the topics and do activities related to the topic. Member Dana Molina recalls that one of her favorite activities was creating a vision board that represented who she was.

Not only do the members have a chance to grow and learn as women, if they’ve been in the club for at least 3 years, their senior year, they get to sign up for a scholarship provided by the national program. They must complete a service project that involves the community and write an essay about their experience. Women of Tomorrow has awarded over $ 4.8 million in scholarships to 1,700 at-risk young women all over the country.

“Not only do the girls have an opportunity for a better education, but when they go off for college, they can take the skills they learned from the club and use them out there in the real world,” explains Ms. Turner.

Some of their main activities for this year include the mentor sessions, the clothing and food drives, working on their scholarship project, and participating in Black History Month.