Why All Girls

 At Esperanza, one of our fundamental beliefs is that every girl has a powerful voice. It is our job to create a sense of agency in our students, moreover, it is our responsibility to create an environment where each girl can be her authentic self and thus, step into her innate power. We believe that our girls are natural leaders, artists, musicians, debaters, performers, engineers, and philosophers. Unesco reports that “only 29% of the world’s researchers are women” and yet according to the Goodman Research Group, “girls’ school grads are 6 times more likely to consider majoring in math, science, and technology compared to girls who attended coed schools.” At Esperanza, young students come into the school and observe that the most talented math student is a girl, that the leader of the ukulele band “The Lele Girls” is a girl, that that bold student who never backs down from a challenge is a girl, that the empathetic leader who seems to know everyone at the school is a girl, and that the quiet student who everyone respects for their clear moral compass is also a girl. Our students receive endless direct and indirect messages that there is immense power in being a girl. 

We believe that it is critical for girls to see themselves reflected through the adults that work with them. At Esperanza 77% of the Faculty/Staff, 85% of the Administrative team, and 73% of the Board of Trustees are women. Our students read authors such as Elizabeth Acedevo, Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, and many other Latinx writers and poets who reflect back to our girls their own family stories and lives. Our academic program is focused on high achievement and deep cultural affirmation because we want Esperanza girls to be the best version of themselves, not someone they are told they should be. The research is clear regarding the impact of investing in girls and the positive effect on communities in poverty. We know that educated girls have the skills to make choices over their own future and can lift themselves, their communities, and their countries out of poverty. Even one more year in school makes a difference. A girl's income will increase by up to 25% every year she stays in school.

Anyone who visits our school, or hears our students speak at an event, always walks away understanding why we are all so jazzed about Esperanza girls; they’re brilliant. And yet we know, that women work two-thirds of the world's working hours, produce half of the world's food, but earn only 10% of the world's income and own less than one percent of the world's property. Our goal is to change that and to show the world what’s possible when you invest in a girl.