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Across campuses, communities and boardrooms, young women are stepping up with ambition and a drive to create something better. One program in particular is proving that when girls are equipped with confidence, mentorship and entrepreneurial skills, they don’t just overcome obstacles — they change the world.
SheCEO, a flagship initiative of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation grantee Save a Girl, Save a World, combines business training with personal development and leadership coaching to cultivate the next generation of innovators.
A multigenerational model of empowerment
At the heart of Save a Girl, Save a World is its multigenerational triad mentoring model, rooted in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The program connects professional women, college students and high school girls in a supportive community that nurtures academic, personal and professional growth.
Mentors act as guides, coaches and accountability partners helping participants grow into strong, self-assured leaders. This sisterhood-in-motion shows young women what is possible when women support one another. It creates a network of encouragement and shared experience, while the program also provides needs-based scholarships and exposure to opportunities — from health and wellness initiatives to annual summits where students envision their futures together.
When the next generation of women succeed, entire communities rise with them. Research shows that when women earn income, they invest up to 90 percent of it back into their families’ health and education, compared with 30 to 40 percent for men, strengthening economic mobility across generations. For young women — especially those attending HBCUs — mentorship and leadership experiences are also linked to higher graduation rates and stronger career outcomes.
SheCEO: Turning vision into action
The organization’s entrepreneurship pillar, SheCEO, is a six-week intensive program designed for college-age women. Students meet weekly for workshops and individualized coaching, developing not just ideas but real, confident visions and tangible business ventures.
Each SheCEO cohort learns to:
- Define their vision, mission and target audience
- Develop marketing materials, taglines and distribution models
- Secure website domains and business registrations
- Explore credit, funding and executive coaching
By the end of the program, SheCEOs think like entrepreneurs — whether starting podcasts, developing products or leading community initiatives. SheCEO is where inspiration meets execution.
“SheCEO is more than launching businesses,” Founder Glenda Gill said. “It’s about giving young women the tools to identify opportunities, solve problems creatively and lead with confidence.”
The spark that started it all
The inspiration for Save a Girl, Save a World began more than 15 years ago at a women’s luncheon, when Julianne Malveaux, then president of Bennett College, delivered a keynote that ignited something powerful in Gill.
“The phrase ‘save a girl, save a world’ became an assignment for me,” Gill recalled. “It wasn’t just an idea — it was a call to action.” From that spark, a movement grew.
Working alongside leaders like Pam Alexander of the Ford Motor Company Fund, Gill developed the framework that launched Save a Girl, Save a World at Bennett College. With Malveaux’s support, the program grew from one campus to six, including Howard University and Clark Atlanta University. Gill often describes her favorite moment as the one when “you see the spark in a young woman’s eyes — the instant she realizes she belongs in every room she steps into.”
That spirit of belonging and empowerment runs through every Save a Girl, Save a World experience, giving young women the confidence to claim space, lead boldly and create lasting impact.
Mentorship that becomes movement
The power of mentorship is most visible when students turn lessons into leadership.
At one partner HBCU, when a student faced a mental health crisis, administrators initially planned to send her back to class without proper support. Two Save a Girl, Save a World mentees organized a sit-in to demand better mental health resources — and mentors stood beside them, offering food, guidance and encouragement.
Their advocacy gained national attention. When actor and mental health advocate Taraji P. Henson launched her foundation’s first campus-based program, she chose their school. In a full-circle moment, one of the students who led the sit-in later became director of that mental health program.
This story captures the essence of Save a Girl, Save a World’s impact: mentorship evolving into movement, leadership and lasting change.
A ripple effect of leadership
SheCEO and Save a Girl, Save a World alumnae carry their lessons forward — launching podcasts, organizing women’s shelter events and hosting mental health walks with support from the organization.
Through these experiences, a vibrant alumni network has emerged — a living sisterhood that continues to grow and give back. It’s a testament to how individual empowerment multiplies into collective impact.
Investing in the future
Save a Girl, Save a World proves that when young women are given the tools, mentorship and belief they need to succeed, they don’t just transform their own lives — they transform the world around them.
As Gill reminds her mentees, “There is always a gift in showing up.”
Because when you invest in young women, you invest in a future defined by possibility, purpose and power.
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