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 third annual GEMfest, a day-long event with inspiring guest speakers and hands-on workshops for approximately 200 middle school girls, on Saturday, February 29, 2020. GEMfest provides inspiration and education about tools for success in middle school, high school, and beyond! 

Ari

Ari ​(she/her) is a current senior at Sage Hill School and is so excited to be a GEM Co-President this year. She attended the first-ever GEMfest in 2018 as an eighth grader and hopes to be the empowering high school role model she once looked up to in middle school. Outside of GEM, Ari is a member of the Sage Hill Varsity Cross Country team, and enjoys soccer, science and engineering, and spending time with friends and family. 

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Audrey 

Audrey ​(she/her) is a senior at Sage Hill School and she is delighted to be a GEM Co-President this year. Through GEM, she hopes to inspire girls to be the best version of themselves and that girls are here to support each other. Audrey co-hosted the GEM-Fest 2021 Podcast on Spotify exploring topics of self-care. Audrey plays volleyball at Sage, is a flutist in the winds ensemble, and a lawyer on mock trial. Outside of school, she enjoys painting and loves to travel. 

Riya 

Riya (she/her) is a senior at Sage Hill School and has been involved with GEMfest for the last three years. She hopes to empower young girls and help them overcome any challenges they may face in high school and beyond. Outside of GEM, Riya holds leadership positions in Publications, the community service club World Wishes, and the Academic Decathlon team. In her free time, she likes to read, write, play guitar, and watch Marvel movies.

Elise

Elise (she/her) is a senior at Sage Hill School. She attended the first GEMfest and also volunteered for GEMfest as a freshman. Through GEM, Elise hopes to help young girls find a passion or hobby that can empower them in their everyday lives. Elise believes that all girls should be offered the resources to discover and fuel their interests. Outside of GEM, Elise is a Student Ambassador Co-Chair, Sage Hill Dance Team Captain, Medical Certification Club founder, and a reading mentor and advocate for literacy in her community.

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Kiana

Kiana (she/her) is a current senior at Sage Hill School and member of our GEM team. This is Kiana’s second year in GEM, and she is so excited to continue working as Workshop Manager. Outside of GEM, Kiana plays Varsity Basketball, is a member of Student Council, and is the Student Ambassador co-chair. Additionally, she is the co-founder and President of her club here at Sage Hill that works to combat food insecurity in Orange County. Kiana has been passionate about helping young girls recognize their strength from a young age, and cannot wait to continue inspiring and empowering the community through this program.

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Victoria​

Victoria ​(she/her) is currently a senior at Sage Hill School and she is so excited to be back on the GEM team for her second year. She hopes GEMfest will empower girls and open their minds to new possibilities as well as inspire them to dream big. Outside of school Victoria enjoys dancing, sewing and playing piano. Victoria plays for the Sage Hill girls golf team and runs her own small tutoring business. 

Courtney

Courtney (she/her) is a junior at Sage Hill School. She attended GEMfest in 8th grade and is very enthusiastic about being on the GEM Team this year. She wants to empower a generation of confident young women to help provide the tools for them to take on the world. Outside of GEM, she plays on the Sage Hill Varsity tennis team, writes for publications, and is a program director of ACEing Autism. ​

Hannah

Hannah (she/her) is currently a senior at Sage Hill School and is very excited for her second year on the GEM Team. Having grown up in Memphis, Tennessee, her experience at an all-girl’s school inspired her to become more involved in girls’ empowerment. In her free time, she loves getting involved in Sage’s volunteering opportunities and has recently started working at Hoag Hospital as part of their Candy-Striper program. During her junior year, Hannah co-hosted GEMFest's 2021 Selfcare Podcast with Audrey McGuff. She is looking forward to being a part of GEM this year, continuing the podcast, and hopes to be a role model for younger girls. 

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Megan

Megan ​(she/her) is currently a junior at Sage Hill School and looks forward to helping spread the message of women’s empowerment as a member of the GEM Team this year.  Over the years, she has attended GEMfest and has made some fantastic memories volunteering for the event.  She feels excited to help unite young women with inspirational leaders in the community.  Megan also hopes to encourage girls to pursue their dreams with confidence.  Megan is a member of SAME, a group that promotes multiculturalism, a Student Ambassador, and participates in the National History Day Club. In her free time, she enjoys playing the guitar, writing, and going to the beach.



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Madeline

Madeleine (she/her) is currently a junior at Sage Hill School and this is her first year on GEM Team. She hopes to inspire young girls to be confident in their own skin and wants them to know that they can do anything. Along with being a part of the GEM Team, Madeleine is on the JV tennis team, is a part of FLARE Magazine and has created her own baking club. When she has free time she loves to watch TV and craft, along with baking. 



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Mikayla

Mikayla ​(she/her) is currently a junior at Sage Hill School. She attended her first GEM Fest in 8th grade and loved it so much she volunteered her freshman year. She is looking forward to being a part of  the GEM team this year and is excited to spend time with the young girls and help them to find their voice and what truly makes them happy. Mikayla is currently on Sage’s tennis team, and enjoys playing piano, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family. 

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Ella 

Ella ​(she/her) is a junior at Sage Hill School, and this is her first year on the GEM team. She went to GEMfest in eighth grade and loved the empowering message. After that, Ella wanted to be on GEM in the hopes of helping more young girls discover their passions and feel confident in themselves. Outside of GEM, Ella enjoys playing the violin, running, and spending time with her family and friends.


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​Noe

Noe ​(she/her) is a junior at Sage Hill School and is stoked to be part of the design team on GEM! She loves writing, fashion, and design and is super passionate about the idea of inspiring young women. Noe is an editor of the yearbook, the school newspaper, the spoken word poetry club, and Flare Magazine. She spends her free time listening to music, thrifting, crystal shopping, and spending time with family and friends. She is also a Libero for the Sage Hill Varsity Volleyball team, and plays club outside of school. Noe loves meeting new people, and hopes to make long lasting bonds through her time in the Girl’s Empowerment Movement. 

Michelle

Michelle (she/her) is a Junior at Sage Hill School and is super excited to be apart of the Gem Team.  Through GEM, she hopes to inspire young girls that they are capable of doing anything they wish to do. Outside of GEM, Michelle is a part of the Sage Hill Cross Country Team and Track and field team. She also enjoys exploring new crochet and knitting patterns in her free time
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Celine

Celine (she/her) is a current junior at Sage Hill School and is very excited to be a part of the GEM team. She volunteered during the 2020 GEMfest, and became interested in GEM’s amazing purpose of female empowerment. Celine believes in inspiring young girls to find their interests, hobbies, or passions that they can pursue with confidence in their everyday lives. In addition to GEM, Celine is a Student Ambassador, a member of Sage Hill’s cross country and track and field teams, and the head photographer for Sage Hill’s FLARE fashion and lifestyle magazine. In her free time, she loves drawing and painting, listening to music, and spending time with her little brother and dog

 Our Founders

 Ishani
​Boston University

 Hannah
​UCLA

 Karli
​Tulane

 Eliza
Washington University in St. Louis

Lilly​
School of Visual Arts

GEM Team Class of 2020

Ezugo
Cornell University

Darcy
​USC

Karina
UCLA

Lizzy
Boston College

Nicole
Wesleyan University

Leslie​
Tulane University

Linda
Parsons School 

GEM Team Class of 2021

Kaylie
​UC Berkley 

Ben
UCSB

Kaylana
UCLA

Sarah
Babson

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