Monthly Archives: September 2012

Congrats to Winners of Our T-Shirt Design Contest!

Results of the She’s the First & Her Campus 2nd Annual T-Shirt Design Contest, in support of our Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off campaign, are in! The judges – Annie Wang of Her Campus, Genevieve Tabios, the She’s the First Art Director, and Preetha, a student at our India partner school, Shanti Bhavan — have deliberated, and they factored in your votes! She’s the First will be selling the winning designs online for tie-dye cupcake bakers all over the U.S. to wear this November. AND 100% of the profits will go towards sponsoring girls in our partner schools!

The designers of the winning t-shirts will receive “Keep Calm, Have a Cupcake” pillows from Dormify AND a gift bag from Jane Cosmetics.

So without further ado here are your TOP T-SHIRT DESIGNS:

Kelsey Thorn – Bake a Change

Ally Koss- One Cupcake Can Change the World

 

Melissa – Cupcakes Are Muffins That Believe in Miracles

Runner- up: Christine – Baking a Change in the World, One Cupcake at a Time

A VERY special honorable mention goes to Jancy Paul Vincent, one of our students from India, for her design:

Thank you to everyone who participated and voted! The t-shirt store will launch on shesthefirst.org in just a couple weeks.

Don’t forget to sign up to host a bake sale in November if you haven’t already! 100% of proceeds will sponsor girls in our partner schools located in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

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Restrictions for College Students in Iran, Nansen Refugee Award & More

 

New Restrictions on Women’s Education in Iran
As the new school years begins in Iran, Human Rights Watch recently urged the government to lift new restrictions on women attending university and enrolling in certain academic fields. Although women make up the majority of college students in Iran, there are currently over 30 universities that now ban women from 77 different majors, including high-paying fields such as accounting, counseling, and engineering. No clear reason has been given for the change, but Iranian officials have recently expressed concern about the country’s declining birth and marriage rates–which are partially due to the rising number of women attending university. Read more here.

Somali Woman Dedicated to Girls’ Education Receives Award
This year’s winner of the Nansen Refugee Award is Hawa Aden Mohamed, a Somali woman who has worked relentlessly to empower girls and women. As a strong advocate for girls’ education, “Mama Hawa” believes in the power of learning, “I think not having education is a kind of disease…without education you do not exist much. Physically yes, but mentally and emotionally you do not exist.” She is the co-founder of Galkayo Education Center for Peace and Development in Somalia, where 1,250 girls receive formal education and 1,600 over the age of 16 are taught basic literacy, numeracy, and life skills such as sewing.  Read Mama Hawa’s full store here.

Punjab Governor Calls for Quality Education for Girls
Governor Shivraj Patil spoke about the importance of educating girls during a recent visit to the Dashmesh College of Girls at Badal village in Punjab.  During his address, Patil said that quality education must be provided for girls in India, as they have the potential to shape the future of the nation.  He went on to say that educated girls contribute significantly to a nation’s socio-economic and political development. Read it here.

Girls Outnumber Boys in Tanzania Exams
Official reports out of Tanzania show that girls outnumbered boys sitting for this year’s Class Seven exams.  Figures show there were 19,943 female candidates and 18,091 male candidates in Arusha. This is great news for a region that has struggled to keep girls in school. Read it here.


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She’s the First*{Tennessee}

University of Tennessee

Vice President Gracie McGuire & President Christian Sullivan

Location: Knoxville, TN

Fun Fact: STF*{UTK} has the first male chapter president!

@STF_UTK

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Meet Our T-Shirt Design Contest Judges!


Wondering how we can possibly choose just three winners from all these cute entries to the She’s the First T-Shirt Design Contest with HerCampus.com? The winning designs will be manufactured into t-shirts by CustomOrganics.net and 100% of the profits will go towards sponsoring girls at our partner schools! (Winners also get “Keep Calm, Have a Cupcake” Pillows from Dormify AND a make-up gift bag from Jane Cosmetics!)

Drumroll, please!

Knowing it would be hard for us to pick favorites, we asked Annie Wang, Creative Director and Co-Founder at HerCampus.com, and Genevieve Tabios, our very own Art Director here at She’s the First, to judge. We also have a surprise guest judge for you from Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project in India (hint- it’s a girl we sponsor!) to round out the judging contingent.

Annie

Our first judge is the Co-Founder and CPO of of HerCampus.com- she is also a really talented web designer!  Annie is the Creative Director of Her Campus, and if you love their layout like we do, you have Annie to thank for it.  Annie is currently on a leave of absence from Harvard, where she was majoring in Visual and Environmental Studies (she’s definitely qualified to pick out a winning design!), so that she can work at Her Campus full-time. To hear more from Annie, you can check out some of the articles she’s written for Her Campus here!

Genevieve TabiosGenevieve

Up next is Genevieve Tabios, our very own Art Director here at She’s the First! Genevieve directs the visual branding of all STF campaigns, and ensures that all collateral, from print media kits to web pages, consistently represent the voice and mission of STF. She graduated from Syracuse University with a dual degree in Graphic Design and Policy Studies and has since been incorporating her eye for design and branding for additional meaningful organizations including studio:ALCHEMY, GimmeMo’, and Lakota Children’s Enrichment. You can see her work here.

Preetha

Last but definitely not least is Preetha one of the students we sponsor at Shanti Bhavan. Preetha says she loves attending Shanti Bhavan because “this school provides me with a good education, exposure to different cultures and an opportunity to grow as a successful individual.“ She is a 16-year-old 10th grader with a passion for singing, dancing, poetry, and art! She loves anything artsy because it allows her to express her emotions in different ways, who better than Preetha to be our student judge?

Remember, you have until September 25th to vote for your favorite t-shirt before our judges deliberate!

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Our Campus Chapters Hit the Ground Running!

Here at the She’s the First headquarters in New York City, the sun is setting earlier, the air is dropping temperature and Starbucks has officially brought back the beloved Pumpkin Spice latte. And the beginning of fall could only mean one thing: Our campus chapters are back to school for another year of advocating for girls around the world! September is only halfway over, but already our campus leaders are exploding with good news, good ideas and more passion than we could have imagined.

Photo courtesy of She’s the First*{University of Tennessee-Knoxville}

Below are some of our favorite pictures from our chapters’ social media pages. We are incredibly proud of their hard work so far! Check out how our campus leaders are taking their schools by storm… one tie dye cupcake at a time.

STF*{Wisconsin}

The She’s the First*{Campus} team spent the summer putting together “First Aid Kits” for all chapter presidents. In addition to stickers inspired by our poetry anthology and a binder stuffed with resources, the kit included a personalized planner, a copy of How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World, custom koozies and more. Huge thanks to Erin Condren, Jordan Christy and YouthMerch for contributing to our First Aid Kits!

We love the enthusiasm of STF*{Wisconson}’s executive board at their first meeting of the semester, which brought in over 60 people! Other chapters have had enormous turnouts, too; STF*{TCNJ} had 20 people at their information session and STF*{American} had 47 people at the first meeting.

STF*{UNCA}

Many of our chapters made She’s the First’s signature tie dye cupcakes for their meetings. Check out Becca Wertheim (right), founder and president of STF*{UNCA} in this photo, sporting one of last year’s winning designs of our t-shirt contest! Remember to cast your vote for the 2012 t-shirt contest at https://www.facebook.com/shesthefirst.

STF*{Michigan}

The She’s the First*{Michigan} executive board enjoyed some tie dye cupcakes, too!

Photo Credit: Julie Gray/Notre Dame Career Center

Speaking of tie dye cupcakes, we are unbelievably proud of Lindsay Brown, the president of our Notre Dame chapter and (drumroll, please…) this month’s Seventeen COVER GIRL! Lindsay is the mastermind behind our tie dye cupcake craze and she has even traveled to our partner schools to meet the girls we sponsor. Lindsay won the magazine’s Pretty Amazing contest for her dedication to empowering girls around the world. Inspired by Lindsay? You can take part in the second annual National Tie Dye Cupcake Bake Off, too! Just visit shesthefirst.org/cupcakes to sign up to host a bake sale.

STF*{Hofstra}

She’s the First*{Hofstra} had an extra colorful display at their school’s club fair! In addition to the tie dye cupcakes, the group displayed a banner covered with handprints and quotes from students saying what they’re the first to do. What a clever way to promote our mission!

The She’s the First*{Campus} program is currently implemented at 30+ schools and universities around the country. If you’re interested in starting a chapter, please click here. Be sure to follow along on the Aspire blog and on Twitter (@shesthefirst) for more She’s the First*{Campus} updates throughout the year!

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Technical Innovations Improve Education in Africa & More

Technical Innovations Improve Education in Africa
The first high-speed Internet link between national research networks in Sub-Saharan Africa was launched last month when Zambia was linked up to South Africa by a cable passing through Zimbabwe. The link is expected to bring a wide variety of advantages and will be especially beneficial for the education sector and researchers in neighboring countries, who will now be able to link up to the network and participate in global e-learning opportunities. Read it here.

Boycotting Students Close University in Swaziland
Students protesting at Swaziland’s only state university have forced the university to close just eight days after the start of the semester. The boycott began over a dispute regarding scholarships the Swazi government was supposed to grant to students this year. Reports claim 700 people were granted places to study at Uniswa and other colleges in Swaziland but were denied scholarships. Read more here.

Senegal Makes Headway on Gender Equality
Senegal has been working through a historic shift of power that began last March, when the country’s 86-year-old president, Abdoulaye Wade, ceded electoral defeat to his popular rival Macky Sall. Not only has the country transitioned into a new president and new government, but now more women than ever are claiming their spot in public office. In fact, 64 of the 150 new representatives in the national assembly are women, a landmark step towards gender equality. Hawa Ba, Senegal officer at the Dakar-based Open Society Initiative for West Africa, says, “Having this record number of female parliamentarians is excellent not only for women in Senegal but in the entire sub-region.” Read more here.

Higher Education Rates Decline in Cuba
University enrollment in Cuba is down over 25 percent from last year, which has some officials worried. Many attribute the steep decline to the fact that Cuba is in the process of reforming their higher education system. The changes include tougher university entrance exams, encouragement for students to major in the agricultural and technical sciences, fewer enrollment places in the humanities, and more training outside of universities for technicians and skilled workers. Read it all here.

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Leonora Fleming

Proud @HofstraU alumna. In love with Cape Cod, live music, Essie nail polish. Addicted to Zumba, reality TV. Forever a ’90s kid.
When I’m not on shesthefirst.org, I’m surfing: Pinterest, Thought Catalog and RollingStone.com
Trailblazer I’d Like to Meet: Michelle Obama
My First: I’m the first in my family to live in New York City!
leonora@shesthefirst.org, @leonoradee

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Now Watching ‘Pretty Amazing’ Seventeen.com Videos!

Walk by the newsstand. Pick up the October issue of Seventeen. You’ll recognize a face you’ve seen all over shesthefirst.org!

Lindsay Brown is the President of She’s the First*{Notre Dame} chapter and SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE’s cover girl!

As we found out last week, Lindsay won this year’s Pretty Amazing reader model cover contest, as a result of her genius idea to sponsor girls’ educations one tie-dye cupcake at a time and her powerful girls’ empowerment soccer program in Nepal!

Seventeen is a girl’s go-to magaizne for entertainment, fashion, and beauty, and it’s so refreshing to see them be bold in the media world by making one of their readers, a girl just like you or me, a super celebrity, for reasons that truly matter–having a big heart and dreams to change the world.

Seventeen captured Lindsay’s ‘Pretty Amazing’ journey on video. Check out some of our favorite episodes:


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She’s the First*{Notre Dame} President is Seventeen Cover Girl!

CONGRATULATIONS to our Lindsay Brown, creator of the tie-dye cupcake fundraising craze and president of the She’s the First*{Notre Dame} chapter — out of 35,000 entries, she WON Seventeen‘s “Pretty Amazing” Reader Model Cover Contest!

Pick up the October issue of Seventeen ASAP to read about Lindsay and the four outstanding finalists: Chloe, Brittany, Kim, and Lindsay G., whom we admire for being “firsts” in their own incredibly impressive ways, from ballet to flying planes!

Thank you to the contest judges — Ann Shoket, Jared Eng, and Emma Roberts, and all the Seventeen readers who voted — for recognizing that Lindsay’s story can inspire millions of girls to take action for education equality worldwide.

Why is this cover so exciting?! Well,…

  1. It’s academic! Lindsay will receive a $20,000 scholarship (very well-deserved given that she’s spent so much of her own money traveling to Nepal…she also plans to go to Kenya over winter break, to implement her girls’ empowerment soccer program!).
  2. It’s bigger than one person. The girls Lindsay sponsors in Nepal — especially 13-year-old Hima — are going to flip out when they see their stories in the magazine, too! If this doesn’t prove to them that crazy dreams can come true, we don’t know what does! Lindsay also represents what it means to be a She’s the First*{Campus} leader, before a huge national audience of college-bound teens.
  3. It’s actionable. Most of all, any American girl who picks up Seventeen and says, “I want to be like Lindsay Brown!” can do just that, right now. None of us needs to wait to be the change we wish to see. Sign ups for our Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off movement in November have begun!

We congratulate you, Lindsay, and celebrate the work of you and your fellow She’s the First*{Campus} presidents across the U.S. do–there’s 35 of you now!

We also would like to recognize the founder of our Nepal partner school, Maggie Doyne…because without her, there would be no “Pretty Amazing” story, there would be no Hima to inspire this “girl effect.” We are humbled that we get to write the happy ending with all of you.

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What You Missed at the #STFCupcakes Twitter Party!

Watch the video at youtube.com/shesthefirst

Our FIRST TWITTER PARTY was a blast! Thanks to all who joined the #STFCupcakes convo at 7pm-8pm EST–our She’s the First Campus Chapters, friends, and “VIP Guests”!

It was the official kick-off for the Tie-Dye Cupcake Campaign with She’s the First President Tammy Tibbetts, actress Monique Coleman, and Lindsay Brown, who answered all your fundraising questions live on Google+ on Air! The video streamed to our YouTube page–you can watch the recordings here.

Mo & Tammy

This year, our goal is to raise $50,000 from bake sales in all 50 states, from November 12-18. First step: Sign up a team to start making (or should we say baking) a change!

Baking tie-dye cupcakes is about bringing you and your friends together to achieve equality in education worldwide. 4 out of 5 girls will not finish high school in countries where STF sponsors girls. By baking and selling cupcakes you will be give girls the chance to be THE FIRST to graduate high school!

Here’s a rundown of some of the questions we answered & tips for your own bake sale (you can find more in this Baking Kit!):

CUPCAKE PRICE RANGE : $1-$2! Explain why you’re selling and they might be willing to donate more to the cause!

PROMOTION, PROMOTION, PROMOTION. Make sure to spread the word around campus weeks before your bake sale, so you can have the best turnout.

Who and where are the girls I will be sponsoring: She’s the First has 8 amazing partner programs in developing world countries. 100% of profits you raise in bake sales will be invested in sponsoring girls in these countries.

Cupcakes are a tool to tell the story. Like Lindsay Brown said, it’s what connects you to the girls you’re sponsoring! Go forth and prove that one cupcake really can change the world!

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Design the T-Shirts Cupcake Bakers Nationwide Will Wear!

One of the winning designs from the 2011 t-shirt design contest!

Want to add “feel-good fashion designer” to your resume? She’s the First and Her Campus challenge YOU (or your most talented graphic designer friends!) to take our campaign t-shirts to the next level, for this fall’s 2nd annual Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off.

Not only do the tie-dye cupcake bakers order these shirts to wear at their bake sales (thus, seen in photos that go all over their Facebook pages!), but most importantly, 100% of the profits directly sponsor girls’ education in our eight partner countries. Here’s when and how to enter:

1. Download the template to design on here (it’s a blank white square, so when it opens, right click and “save as”)

2. Upload your design to our custom Facebook tab (made possible by Wix Social!) between September 4-17th, and tell your friends to “like” it! Note: It has to be a JPG, and if it doesn’t go through, just make the file size smaller!

How will we choose the winner? We’ve got three superstar judges and YOU will give your input based on Facebook likes. (Your votes do influence the outcome!) We’ll announce the winners by September 20th.

"Keep Calm, Have a Cupcake" pillow from Dormify, a gift for the 3 winners

What do the winners get? In addition to the glory of having their work worn by world-changing bakers all across the U.S., they’ll win a “Keep Calm, Have a Cupcake” pillow from Dormify. There will also be a gift bag of Jane Cosmetics makeup awarded.

Need inspiration? Check out the photo album of t-shirts designed last year here. Or, surf Pinterest (follow our Boards here!)

Winning t-shirts will be available for purchase around October 11th – just in time for the first-ever International Day of the Girl (for which we’re organizing the XX Summit!)

Spread the word to your networks with this tweet:

Design a cute cupcake t-shirt & help sponsor girls’ education with @shesthefirst & @hercampus! Enter on Facebook: http://ow.ly/diCWF

Ready? Set…design!!!

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Tuesday: Join Twitter Party & Sign Up to Host a Bake Sale!

You know the story: Last year, 100 teams in 30 states signed up to host tie-dye cupcake bake sales during a week in November…one cupcake at a time, they raised $22,800 (in a mere 8 days!) to sponsor all these girls around the world! Not only that, but the story of the very first tie-dye cupcake bake sale for She’s the First, held at the University of Notre Dame, made its way to Seventeen (go Lindsay Brown!)

This year’s goal: Raise $50,000 (100% of your cupcake money goes directly to girls’ sponsorships, as always!), from 200+ bake sales in all 50 states–during the week of November 12th-18th!

WE CAN DO IT! The very large impact we’ll make with tiny little cupcakes deserves a magnificent kick-off, don’t you think? That’s why this year, we’re opening sign-ups for the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off with a SWEET Twitter Party! You’re invited, and here’s why you don’t want to miss it:

As you tweet, you’ll also get to watch a livestreaming interview on our YouTube page, with She’s the First Founder/President Tammy Tibbetts, She’s the First tie-dye cupcake creator Lindsay Brown, and other special surprise guests!

Here’s how to prepare:

1. RSVP to the Twitter Party on Facebook!

2. Follow the hashtag #STFCupcakes on Twitter.com–even better, TweetChat.com or TweetGrid.com. Those dashboards update in real time and will add the hashtag to your tweets automatically during the conversation.

3. Add a tie-dye cupcake PicBadge to your photo for awareness!

4. Follow our “Baking Besties” — fun partners who are bringing their friends to the party!

5. Tweet of course! You can cut & paste this: Join @shesthefirst @gimmemotalk for Twitter Party TONIGHT, 7pm ET & sign up to bake for #education! Follow #STFCupcakes http://ow.ly/dqXRe

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