Jacki just won her own prestigious scholarship - and she wants to pay it forward for girls globally.
My name is Jacki Bryk and I am a sophomore pursuing a BA in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, Columbia College. I am an aspiring broadcast journalist, the first in my family to pursue a career in communications. Next Monday, I will be awarded a New York Women in Communications Foundation scholarship, on stage at the Matrix Awards (which is how the She’s the First Founder & Executive Director met 6 years ago!)
When I first heard about She’s the First, I distinctly remember thinking about that word “first.” I jotted down the first few things that came to mind…first steps, first big successes, first loves, first friends…
But then I stopped writing and just sat there at my desk staring at the word. First. And I realized that so many of us never actually stop to think about the nature of the word.
We take for granted the power of firsts. The way they can bring us far from where we started – to a place unexpected and extraordinary, or the way they can open us up to something new and exciting. The way they can change our entire perspective from the life we currently live to one we might not ever have dreamed of.
Firsts are like tiny packages of opportunity intended for exploration. They come in all shapes and sizes, from common firsts, to individual firsts, tangible firsts to abstract firsts, but the whole array of them make every step of our life journey continuously fresh and exciting. Whatever the specific way firsts impact us, those five little letters unite in a symphonic and explosive way that can make such a huge impression on our lives.
So, what better gift can we give then to share this miraculous potential of a first?
That is why I am honored to be a part of the She’s the First campaign – to be able to provide a fellow woman with the ability to make her own firsts and change her life, her world, and herself forever.
[Editor's Note: She's the First was on the red carpet at the Matrix Awards last year! See our video with the honorees and presenters below.]
