Meet the Team!

GEM (Girls Empowerment Movement) was founded by a group of junior and senior girls at Sage Hill School in Newport Coast, California. We are passionate about building independence and self-esteem in middle school girls. We will host the sixth annual GEMfest, a day-long event with inspiring guest speakers and hands-on workshops for approximately 200 middle school girls, on Saturday, March 16th, 2024. GEMfest provides inspiration and education about tools for success in middle school, high school, and beyond! 

Leadership

Anne Chen
Co-President

Riley Robinson
Co-President

Jaci Lee
Producer

Anne ​(she/her) is a former GEMfest attendee and ambassador herself, she is super excited to bring the same amazing experience. Anne is also the president for Sage's Girl Up club, as well as a writer for Flare Magazine and The Bolt.  Anne looks forward to sharing her passion for women empowerment and inspiring others to do the same.
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​Riley (she/her) is currently a senior at Sage Hill School. She has attended all the GEMfest events since 2018 and it is her dream to be working alongside likeminded women and empower young girls as they enter middle school. Outside of GEM, Riley is a member of SAME, a leadership group that works to enhance multiculturalism, a Student Ambassador.

Jaci (she/her) is looking forward to connecting with attendees and inspiring them by showing them new career opportunities. She is a student ambassador and plays varsity soccer.

GEMBassador Committee

Isabella Palacio

Anna Yang

Courtney Tetteh-Martey

Isa (she/her) attended her first GEMfest in middle school, and hopes to inspire young girls to find their passions. Isa is also on dance ensemble, captain of speech and debate, and co-chair of SAME.​

Anna ​(she/her) is currently a junior at Sage Hill School. She first attended GEMFest in middle school and is excited to join the GEM team. She is Senior Editor of Flare Magazine, co-president of Reimagined club, and owns a small business. 

Courtney (she/her) is dedicated to supporting diverse initiatives that empower women. She is also Head of Content for Girl Up, promoting education about women's rights through youth-led projects.  

Marketing and Design Team

Priya Bhakta

Claire Casey

Aashna  Sharma

Priya (she/her) is currently a senior at Sage Hill School. She attended her first GEM Fest as a volunteer in 2022 and wanted to get more involved with the cause.  Priya also volunteers with the American Association of University Women. In school, she is on the boards of Girl Up and Blue Bin Group, and also works on the school newspaper and yearbook. 

​Claire (she/her) attended GEMfest in middle school and is excited to keep it going for another generation of girls. She is also a student ambassador, a photo editor of the yearbook, and a treasurer of JCL.

Aashna (she/her) was inspired to join GEM in middle school and hopes to empower young girls. Aashna is also on the board of Girl Up ad Flare and is tthe co-founder of SASA.

Speaker Representatives

Carisa Koh

Fiori Lee

Carisa (she/her) attended GEMfest throughout middle school and hopes to connect with the attendees during the event. She is a member of FLARE, Give Back, and plays volleyball.
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​Fiori (she/her) has been a volunteer at GEMFest for two years and is excited to be part of the team this year. She hopes to empower young girls and is the founder of Letters of Love. 

Finance Committee

Anna Lin

Mirabelle Jiang

Anna (she/her) attended GEMfest throughout middle school and now hosts a coding workshop at GEMfest. She is also president of Art Club and a member of dance ensemble. ​

Mirabelle (she/her) is in her first year at GEM and looks forward to working with everyone this year! She is a part of mock trial and is the Head of Writing for Flare Magazine.

Communications Directors

Evelyn Wang

Alia Sajjadian

Chanah Yin

Evelyn (she/her) is eager to making this year's GEMfest an amazing experience for young girls. She is the founder of the Digital Civilty Project and on the boards of The Storm and Flare Magazine. 

Alia (she/her) attended GEMfest in middle school and looks foward to passing on that excitement for new GEMfest attendees! Alia is also co-chair of SAME and editor in chief of the BOLT.

Chanah (she/her) volunteered at GEMFest for the past 2 years and is excited to be apart of the team. She is the founder of Our Generation and the Editor in Chief of Electric.​

Documenters

Jamie Parrott

Jamie (she/her) is currently a senior at Sage Hill School and is super excited to be a part of the GEM Team. She attended GEMFest her during her seventh and eighth grade years and had the opportunity to be a GEMbassador. Outside of GEM, Jamie loves participating in theatre and the arts department at Sage Hill school. Jamie also plays soccer, enjoys music, movies, Disney, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Sherine Assif

Sherine (she/her) is so excited to be a part of GEM this year. I joined GEM because I love the purpose behind it and how it is a safe space for girls like me

GEM Team 2022

 Our Founders

 Ishani
​Boston University

 Hannah
​UCLA

 Karli
​Tulane

 Eliza
Washington University in St. Louis

Lilly​
School of Visual Arts