My struggle with low self-esteem begins and ends with me. However, there were other people who either knowingly, or unintentionally, had an impact on how I felt about myself as a woman. I made mistakes and I had to recognize Read More
Category: Stories
Read heartfelt stories of resilience and success from women and girls transforming their lives with Soroptimist’s support.
The Next One in Line: Setting Girls Up for Science Success
Imagine a girl. Right now she’s sitting in her first-grade classroom, her coat is hung in the colorful cubbies that line the wall, an alphabet rug lies in the back corner near the windows, and the scent of crayons lingers Read More
April Lee Hernandez on Self Worth and Abuse
When you are in an abusive relationship and you see the signs that things are going downhill and you don’t do anything about it, it begins to fester. Moment by moment you accept it and plant the seed that can Read More
“I Am A Survivor of Teen Dating Violence” – April Lee Hernandez
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be the girl to end up in an abusive relationship, especially because I did not grow up in an abusive home. Which is the stigma that accompanies abuse; we Read More
I Work So Women and Girls Have Choice and Opportunity
The other day, I was in a creative writing class. The instructor asked what we all did for a living. I said I worked in the communications/marketing department of Soroptimist/LiveYourDream.org, an organization that empowers disadvantaged women and girls to follow Read More
Too Close to Home
Luz Aponte, a survivor of domestic violence, speaks candidly in this public awareness announcement about her niece who recently lost her life to domestic violence. As a nonprofit whose mission is to improve the lives of women and girls, LiveYourDream.org/Soroptimist’s staff is Read More
Meet the 2016 Live Your Dream Award Finalists
American singer-songwriter Carly Simon once said, “A really strong woman accepts the war she went through and is ennobled by her scars.” That statement accurately describes the amazing women who receive the Soroptimist Live Your Dream Awards each year. Through Read More
Compassion, Opportunity, & the Pursuit of Luck: My Non-Judgmental Judging Experience
“Don’t judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” We’ve all heard this old adage a million times before, but it’s one that seems to strike a chord with me over and over again as I go Read More
My Success Story
As a former Live Your Dream Award recipient, I feel that it would be beneficial and inspiring to all women to hear my story. During my first semester of college as a nontraditional student, I found Soroptimist’s Live Your Dream Award Read More
My (Self) Love Story
This time last year, I made the extremely heartbreaking and painful discovery that my husband was having an affair. It turned my world upside down and my heart inside out. The pain, sadness, anger, and confusion were unbearable. At the Read More