Voices of Her Own, Spring 2022, Issue 4

voices of her own her discovery magazine

Artist: Keeley Rae Prestwich

Spring 2022 - Issue 4

r u O g n i d a e r p S Wings

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Cover Story Meet Keeley Well, call me a unicorn. Why? Because that is how people react when I tell them I work professionally as an artist. “Wow.” “Cool.” “Is that even a job?” “Do you make money?”

Yep - I might as well be a mythical creature.

Graduating with a degree in Painting from a small christian college in the middle of nowhere, Idaho, during a pandemic, wasn’t exactly the financially secure future my parents had in mind. But as if the fairy godmother were real, everything seemed to turn out.

I graduated college with a part time job as a studio assistant and a couple commissions.

After working in Utah as both a gallery and studio assistant, I came to visit family who moved to the DMV area a year previous. I was taking a class with The Art League during this short visit, when the instructor encouraged me to apply for a teaching position.

I currently teach teen drawing and painting classes, and work as The Art League Youth Coordinator, which is how I came to be involved with SOHO. There are few people I know that are as excited to go to work as I am. The major part of that has to do with the wonderful experience it has been to work with SOHO. The dedicated staff, the wonderful big hearted mentors, and the ever excited and energetic mentees bring so much joy to my life. It truly has been a blessing being part of the team.

The cover of this magazine is a quick painting I did between prep-time and an online SOHO session. It is a young girl modeled in the pose of the famous “Winged Victory” statue at the Louvre. It is my hope that each of our SOHO girls will be able to spread their wings as they continue forward in their lives. Experiencing their own victories along the way. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll be unicorns as well.

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CONTENTS Let your dreams be your wings EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Brianna & Jenny MENTEE WRITERS Adaliz Adriana Armarni Aviyona Ashley Brooklynn Daionni Emiley Heidy Kha’Moni Kalkidan Kaylee Khloe Mahlet Nyla Sarah GUEST WRITERS Keeley Rae Prestwich Lisette Torres

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS…….3 NOTE FROM SOHO’S FOUNDER & DIRECTOR…………………...............4 MENTEE QUOTES………………......5 CERAMICS……………………..….….7 ETIQUETTE…………………….….….8 ANIMAL ENCOUNTER……………....9 WELDING…………………………….10 PHOTOGRAPHY…………………….11 LAMPS………………..……………...12 SELF PORTRAITS………………….13 MOSAIC MIRRORS………………...14 SPACE TRANSFORMATIONS…….16 SOHO SPOTLIGHT…………...........19 UNDERSTANDING OUR BODIES..20 RESOURCES………………………..21 UPCOMING EVENTS………………22

Letter from the Editors Written by: Brianna and Jenny

Brianna: What a year it has been! I have learned so much as a SOHO employee and I am grateful for the opportunities that this internship has brought along for me. I learned about the girls, how to be a better public speaker, and how to be a stronger leader. Working with Jenny, Bessy, and Madeline has been truly amazing and they have all helped me with my college applications and encouraged me to follow my dreams. This fall I will be attending Virginia Commonwealth University! Go Rams! I can’t wait to start a new chapter in my life and I am excited for what the future holds. Although I am excited about this new chapter, I am also sad that this internship is almost over. I am so excited for you all to meet next year's interns and I cannot wait to see what they accomplish during their time in SOHO!

Hello everyone! We are thrilled to help publish the fourth issue of Voices of Her Own magazine.

In this issue, we bring you along on the many adventures that the girls have experienced.

We hope you will see how the girls have matured and built a variety of new skills and confidences.

We are excited to share more of what the girls have accomplished this year :)

Jenny: Being a part of the SOHO team has been the best experience. I have learned so much from the SOHO girls and I have really enjoyed watching them break out of their shells and express themselves through art. It has been a wonderful journey and if I could do it all over again, I would. After SOHO, I will continue to study Business Administration in hopes of one day opening up a daycare for children with special needs. I will be transferring to George Mason University in the spring! I will forever be a part of the SOHO family - no matter what.

Best of luck to the next interns, I promise you it’ll be a blast.

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A Note From Linda Odell SOHO’s Founder & Director Celebrating 20 years of SOHO! Our first SOHO program started in 2002 and we’ve come such a long way since then, most notably expanding our mentor recruitment and training, adding carpentry and STEM projects to our visual arts curriculum, and evaluating our impact on building developmental assets in girls. It’s been inspiring to watch SOHO’s girls grow up.

Some have become SOHO mentors, donors and employees. And I am confident that each of them is making a positive difference in this world.

➔ 20 years of fond memories and life-changing experiences ➔ 20 years of growing and changing ➔ 20 years of building collaborative partnerships ➔ 20 year of discovering our true potential ➔ 20 years of investing by caring adults who donate their dollars and volunteer their time - I am deeply grateful ➔ 20 years of outstanding instructors and program managers ➔ 20 years of spreading wings and soaring to bright futures - I am proud of each and every one of SOHO’s girls

Time flies when we are having fun!

I am excited to see what the next 20 years will bring.

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To wrap up the 2022-2023 SOHO year, we asked our mentees to tell us about their SOHO experience.

Here is what they had to say…

SOHO has taught me to believe in myself, to be able to find my passion, and even to meet new people. I am learning how to accept myself and others.

- Mahlet

SOHO has taught me to be my own self, to not let anyone try to take over, to have self respect, to be creative, and to take pride.

- Khloe

SOHO has taught me to have good manners, be polite, and to also believe in myself.

- Kalkidan

I like SOHO because I have people who listen to me and SOHO is a nice place to be at. I love being at SOHO. It is great!

- Ashley

I like SOHO because it’s about art and creating things.

- Sarah

I like SOHO because I have always wanted to do art and make things for my room. I always wanted help but I had no one and now I have SOHO. - Adriana

I am grateful for SOHO because they give us amazing projects, take us on field trips, and teach us new things.

They always try their best to make things work.

- Adaliz

I like SOHO because I can be myself, have fun while being myself, and because I get to meet new friends.

- Daionni

I like SOHO because I get to meet wonderful people.

- Emiley

I like SOHO because it’s fun, I have made new friends, and it can be super creative.

- Brooklynn

I like SOHO because we do really fun activities.

I also like SOHO because it has brought me closer to my friends and helped me in so many ways.

- Armarni

I like SOHO because it teaches me stuff I need to know and need to think about. It also helps me be more comfortable around people.

- Kha’moni

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There are countless reasons SOHO mentees and staff are thankful for our mentors. Here are just a few!

I am grateful for my mentor because she listens to what I have to say and teaches me new cool things.

- Armarni

My mentor is teaching me new things and I like the way that she believes in me, encouraging me to do good. She is kind, has good manners, and is a good influence.

- Mahlet

I am grateful for my mentor because she is strong, brave, sweet, and loving. She comes up with new ideas and understands me.

- Khloe

I am grateful for my mentor because she’s really nice.

She also helps me become a better person, and she helps me fix mistakes that I make.

- Kalkidan

I am grateful for my mentor Jess because she makes me feel happy! She is a really good person to talk to. I really appreciate her!

- Ashley

I am grateful for my mentor because she is nice, helpful, and she helped me with my room transformation!

- Brooklynn

She helps me build my confidence, always helps me with things I don’t understand, and makes me happy and laugh.

- Adaliz

I am grateful for my mentor because she treats me well.

She is very thoughtful, and is very nice.

- Nyla

I am grateful for my mentor because she is nice and she helps me. I’m so lucky to have her!

- Adriana

I am grateful for my mentor because she is funny, nice, kind, and she cares about me.

- Kaylee

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I am grateful for my mentor because we have so much in common and we click.

- Aviyona

I am grateful for my mentor because I have always wanted a sister and she is like a sister to me.

- Kha’Moni

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Ceramics

Written by: Adaliz and Emiley

One of my favorite SOHO projects has been ceramics, which is working with clay. With the clay you can make jewelry, pottery, and figures. First you start with sticky clay and then you start kneading it to the shape you want. After you let it harden, then you will glaze it, so when it’s ready you can take it home. - Adaliz I loved the ceramic class because we got to play with clay and it was so cool!

- Emiley

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Written by: Nyla

Etiquette

I think etiquette was kind of hard to learn in the beginning, but the more I practiced the better I got and it made me feel like a lady. Now I can teach my family about proper etiquette!

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Animal Encounter Written by: Kalkidan and Brooklynn

During the animal encounter, we got to see a scorpion that glows in blue light and we got to pet a chunky lizard, which was my favorite part. After, we made pollen slime.

- Brooklynn

Thank you to Faith Boettger, a wonderful SOHO Board Member, for treating us to an incredible trip to the Children’s Science Center, located at Fair Oaks Mall.

At the animal encounter, we got to see reptiles such as iguanas, lizards, and a scorpion. We got to touch the lizard - she pretty chubby but she was cute. After that we got to make slime and add a charm to it.

- Kalkidan

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SOHO girls and mentors had the opportunity to learn how to weld at Building Momentum.

Welding was a fun experience because we made cool cups and made name plates.

We got to wear cool clothes and cool gear.

We topped it off by eating pizza!

- Khloe

I had fun at welding because we had to use a tool to mount the metal and write my name on the back. We also were challenged to make a cup that held water.

- Adriana

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Photography

I liked photograph y because w e could do po ses and run aro und.

- Adriana

e that w I liked ose and p could up as s e r d s ing. anyth ey l - Ash

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There are different types of pictures you can take. Not everybody uses their phone to take pictures. Some people use film cameras and dark rooms where you print pictures yourself.

- Kha’moni

I liked got to that we use p rops and t ha could t we pictur take es w other ith s.

- Heid y

g into I liked goin om the dark ro was because it really cool!

- Emiley

I like d to ha that I got ve di ffe optio ns to rent dress up.

- Bro oklyn n

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Lamps Written by: Mahlet and Sarah

When creating the lamps my ideas were all over the place. I painted it blue first, I wanted butterflies but then they became clouds.

I was so excited for it to be in my room and light it up!

- Mahlet

I enjoyed painting and designing my own lamp for the first time! - Sarah 13

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Self Portraits The self portrait class was so cool. Our guest art teacher Luke Rains taught us that being messy was ok, which inspired me to be messy. It took me a while to fix it, and my portrait kept changing, but it came out awesome! - Mahlet

Self portraits were fun to do with our mentors. I enjoyed making the skin tone with paint and adding the heart and the penguins (which my mentor made). - Ashley 14

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Mosaic Mirrors I enjoyed putting the mosaic mirror together. I liked the tiles and shapes that reminded me of the ocean. I can’t wait to put my finished mirror in my room.

- Aviyona

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Space Transformations When I saw the room I was so surprised! The LED lights were so amazing. I am so thankful! I love it!

- Mahlet

I love how my new room turned out! I liked getting surprised with the stitch alarm clock and bed sheets.

I also like the desk so I can do all of my school assignments. I loved when we made the bed together.

We had a lot of fun.

- Ashley

For the room transformation, I felt excited and nervous but most of all, I am happy and grateful for all.

- Adaliz

I am excited for my transformation because I want to come in my room and feel really calm and confident in there.

- Kha’moni

I love my space transformation because it was what I needed. It feels like me and I loved it!

- Khloe

I had a great time with my mentor when we did my room transformation and I have a stitch pillow!

- Adriana

When Mary and I did my room my least favorite part was organizing my stuff and my favorite part was doing the lights. Even though didn’t like the organizing, it was worth it in the end.

- Brooklynn

My room transformation was awesome and was a lot of fun. If you can, I advise you to join SOHO because it’s awesome!

- Kalkidan

I like how I got surprised with a stitch theme. I enjoy how comfortable my mattress is. My favorite item in my new room is my new desk because it has drawer built in it.

- Daionni

My room used to have yellow walls and it was messy. With my mentor we worked the magic and made it my dream come true.

Thank you so much!

- Nyla

Not everyone has a space to call their own. SOHO girls are given opportunities to to create a space to call their own. Throughout the year, girls work with their mentors and expert instructors to create art and carpentry projects that are displayed in their bedrooms or sleeping areas during spring space transformations!

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Top left: Armarni Top right: Kaylee Bottom left: Adriana Bottom right: Heidy 17

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Top left: Ashley Top right: Mahlet Bottom left: Aviyona Bottom right: Khloe 18

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Top left and right: Nyla Middle right: Emiley Bottom left and right: Brooklynn

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SOHO Spotlight: Adaliz and Her Mentor Vicki Written by: Brianna

Adaliz is one of the fifth graders in the SOHO program this year. In December, she was matched with her mentor, Vicki. Over the last few months, they have had such a blast together. You can tell they are developing a strong bond by watching how they work together during the art projects and how highly each one speaks of the other. I asked each of them a few questions and this is what they had to say: How has being a mentee/mentor impacted you life?

Romero

Adaliz: My mentor gives me ideas to be more creative. She lets me by myself and allows me to share things with her.

Advice to future mentees/mentors!

Adaliz: I would tell 5th grade girls to join this program because they will make new friends, create amazing artwork, and get paired with an amazing mentor.

Vicki: I would tell anyone that is thinking about becoming a mentor that everybody has something to give and that mentoring doesn’t only change the mentee’s life but the mentor’s life as well.

Vicki: Being a mentor has allowed me to be surrounded by new people and different age groups. It has changed my ways of thinking and broaden my world.

What have you learned from each other?

Adaliz: Vicki encourages me to by myself, speak up, to be more open and confident.

Vicki: Adaliz has taught me to be confident in myself and to have determination.

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ISSUES WE CARE ABOUT Understanding Our Bodies Written by: Lisette Torres Supplementary quotes by our SOHO 5th graders "I feel puberty is a normal thing and we shouldn't be afraid or ashamed because it happens to everyone and it just means that we're growing."

"It felt awkward at first but I understand my body better and will know nothing is wrong with me."

"Lisette was very nice and made it more comfortable to talk about."

"I think this was a very important topic to learn about."

"Don't let anyone shame your body. Change in your body is ok. At first, it was embarrassing, but then it was ok because it was normal and it felt good to learn about it. It was very connecting because all women have been through it."

"I learned to take care of your body and to treat your body well. And when it comes don't be scared."

"I felt uncomfortable but now I'm glad that I know my body."

“It’s not awkward, it’s just normal”

“Knowing about your body is better so when everything happens you know what is going on” "I'm glad she taught us that stuff because otherwise I wouldn't know."

“It felt good to know more about my body because I didn’t know what organs females had. I thought all humans had the same organs.”

Lisette Torres is a Supervisory Program Analyst for the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy and has been a SOHO mentor since 2012.

One of the best parts of my job is teaching the Puberty life skills lesson to the mentees at SOHO every spring. The workshop is divided up into two parts and focuses on helping the girls understand the basics of puberty – the physical, emotional and social changes they will experience and then the ins and outs of getting your period – why it happens, what to expect and how to be prepared. It’s always fun to watch the shift that happens from the beginning to the end as the girls learn the information, start to process it with their mentors and other caring adults in their lives, and develop a new sense of confidence as a result of knowing more about their bodies. I try to normalize the discomfort and curiosity that comes with talking about their changing bodies as well as their excitement with the idea of looking and feeling different. “All of these feelings are normal” is a phrase the mentees will hear me say over and over. My biggest goal with the workshop is to take some of the fear and taboo out of the concept of puberty and periods and empower the girls to get to know their bodies well enough to anticipate the changes that are about to occur so that they can be ready to face them head on. My hope is that all kids in our community can have this type of experience, but this can only happen through good sexual health education coming from people they can trust and of course, through ongoing support and conversations with their caring adults. When young girls have this combination in their lives and feel knowledgeable and confident about their bodies, there are no limits to their sense of empowerment.

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Resources for SOHO Girls and Families Help Wanted!

Camp Kekoka Scholarships

SOHO Internships Available for Assistant Program Managers 6-10 hours per week

Contact Bessy and Maddie for more information.

Tuesdays from 3:45-8:15 and/or Wednesdays from 3:45-8:15 Occasional weekend work Earn $13.50/hour Must have participated in SOHO and be at least 16 years old.

ART Class/Camp Scholarships

Summer Reading Increases School Success!

SOHO will be delighted to purchase books for girls and mentors to read together this summer.

Contact Bessy and Maddie for more information.

Contact Bessy and Maddie for more information.

Free Gently Used Bikes!* for SOHO girls and family members

Looking to improve your art skills this summer?

Visit: https://www.theartleague.org/ Email keeleyraep@theartleague.org to learn more

Looking to explore the great outdoors?

Email: Jerry@wildernesskidsalexandria.org

*Depends on availability of bikes

Contact Bessy and Maddie for more information.

https://www.wildernesskidsalexandria.org/

Looking for additional resources in our community?

We are here to help you!

Please contact SOHO Program Managers, Bessy or Maddie. bessy.chavarria@spaceofherown.org/703-283-7795 madeline.nance@spaceofherown.org/571-289-3396 (examples: parenting support, housing resources, school supplies, after school programs, etc.)

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SOHO’s Mission Transforming spaces and transforming lives, SOHO empowers girls through visual arts, carpentry, life skills lessons and creative one-on-one mentoring

Upcoming SOHO Events ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

May 31/June 1 from 6-8 p.m. SOHO Promotion Ceremony & Family Night June 11 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. New Mentor Appreciation Brunch June 28 from 6-8:30 p.m. SOHO Club Event - Games, Grub & Philanthropy July 13 from 6-8:30 p.m. SOHO Club Event - Picnic and Kickball August 2 or 3 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Info Sessions for Prospective Mentors August 6 SOHO Club Pool Party August 9 or 10 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Info Sessions for Prospective Mentors August 17 Back to School BBQ October 22-25 SOHO Club trip to Camp Kekoka

Do you have an event idea? Contact Bessy and Maddie!

Bessy.chavarria@spaceofherown.org/madeline.nance@spaceofherown.org

SOHO SHOUT OUTS! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Building Momentum - for the incredible welding experience Children’s Science Center and Faith Boettger - for the fun animal encounter & science experiment Jane and Fannie from HEARD - for leading impactful life skills lessons Johnny Alexander & team - for providing safe transportation for field trips Lisette Torres - for helping our girls better understand their bodies Mary and Paula Gubbins - for sharing your time, ideas, and donating art supplies and card making kits for each girl Mentors and friends - for working hard with each girl and family to create a Space of Her Own! Spring2Action Donors - Thank you for a record setting year!

Winn Brewer - for helping us highlight the SOHO experience; exciting video coming soon!

Girls and Mentors – Share your photos and stories to be featured in the next issue of

voices of her own magazine.

For more SOHO information visit spaceofherown.org

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