Theme: She creates her own rules.

Join us for an evening of inspiring ideas from an empowering group of young women. These young women are striving to break the mold and defy all odds. This innovative group of young women have come together to put forth a night of mind shifting talks. They hope to be the role models young girls need in order to think big and challenge the status quo.

Carver Military Academy
13100 S Doty Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, 60827
United States

Aileen Salgado

Comfort Zone Challenger

Aileen Salgado is a 16-year-old Junior who aspires to make a change in the world. She has personally struggled with wanting to stay only within her own comfort zone but has learned how important it is to try new things. She hopes that her speech will help others to learn ways to cope with the fear of trying something new.

Angelina Alvarez

Angelina has a passion for spoken word poetry. She is a member of the Louder Than a Bomb Poetry Team at Carver Military Academy called The Revisionists. Their motto is "Revisionists- never get it perfect!" because their thoughts and poetry are constantly under revision.

Curtis Townsend

Curtis has a passion for spoken word poetry and rap. He is a member of the Louder Than a Bomb Poetry Team at Carver Military Academy called The Revisionists. Their motto is "Revisionists- never get it perfect!" because their thoughts and poetry are constantly under revision. Curtis creates a hybrid of spoken word and hip hop in this original rap.

Diamond Freeman

Family Enthusiast

Diamond Freeman, a family-oriented 16-year-old girl is the youngest in her family, but being the youngest doesn't mean she doesn't understand the value of family as a support system. Family has always been a key component in her life growing up. Growing up in the city of Chicago, she continues to see families turning on each other, and she hopes to inform others about the importance of family, especially in today’s environment.

Elena Sanchez

Technology Questioner

16-year-old, Elena Sanchez was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. During my free time I enjoy drawing and spending time with my family. Like most people, she enjoys modern technology and all it has to offer, but she has been noticing the way it is affecting people and wonders whether it is for the good or the bad. Through her talk she hopes to inspire her audience to evaluate their own technology usage and the impact it has on their lives.

Ilse Arciniega

Gender Role Crusher

Ilse Arciniega is 16-years-old and the oldest of three children. Raised by supportive parents, she understands her own value and never lets others see her as less beneficial to society because of her gender. She hopes that her Ted Talk will help others realize that girls are equal to men and are capable of anything they wish to accomplish.

Julieta Arroyo

Animal Advocate

Julieta Arroyo is a 16-year-old junior at Carver Military Academy. She is kind hearted and caring and has grown up with a huge love for animals. Because of her love of animals, Julieta has been spreading the word about animal cruelty in slaughter houses and vegetarianism, in hopes to inspire others to help ease the suffering of animals that are raised to be consumed.

Leslie Hernandez

Comfort Zone Destroyer

Leslie Hernandez is 16 years old and was born and raised in Chicago. She lives with her mother, sister, and brother. Over the years she has learned the value of stepping out of her comfort zone to try new things and now loves being involved in a variety of extracurricular activities.She hopes to help others understand the importance to breaking free of their comfort zone to expand their experiences and try something new.

Mariana Gutierrez

Girl power expert + motivated student

Mariana Gutierrez, a 16-year-old student, comes from a big family and enjoys being around loved ones. She understands the impact role models have on shaping her identity as she continues to mature. She wants people to see the need to improve how women are portrayed in the media order to provide better role models for girls everywhere.

Samone Patterson

Public Speaking + comedian

Samone Patterson is a 16-year-old junior. Like most people her age, she likes spending time with friends, watching movies, and avoiding public speaking. Despite what people may think, she despises public speaking because, like many people, it is one of her biggest fears. Through her speech, she hopes people will learn how to adjust for that fear in order to overcome it.

Tachanna Jones

Tachanna has a passion for spoken word poetry. She is a member of the Louder Than a Bomb Poetry Team at Carver Military Academy called The Revisionists. Their motto is "Revisionists- never get it perfect!" because their thoughts and poetry are constantly under revision.

Treasuree Glasper

Treasuree has a passion for spoken word poetry. She is a member of the Louder Than a Bomb Poetry Team at Carver Military Academy called The Revisionists. Their motto is "Revisionists- never get it perfect!" because their thoughts and poetry are constantly under revision.

Xavier Williams

Xavier has a passion for spoken word poetry. He is a member of the Louder Than a Bomb Poetry Team at Carver Military Academy called The Revisionists. Their motto is "Revisionists- never get it perfect!" because their thoughts and poetry are constantly under revision.