KLRU and Women and Girls Lead Shine A Spotlight on Austin Leaders

Public television partner KLRU announces women to be featured in new shorts inspired by Women and Girls Lead: Austin.

Women and Girls Lead Shorts profile American women from all walks of life who inspire with stories of resilience, hope, and empowerment. This series, created for the web and TV, is a collaboration between husband-and-wife filmmakers Carl and Betsy Crum, the Independent Television Service (ITVS), and several local public television stations in the United States On August 23rd,  KLRU together with ITVS announced the next group of women and girls to be profiled for Women and Girls Lead: Austin. Learn more about the seven women and girls who will be featured in the 2012-2013 shorts project (after the jump).

Katherine Craft is the founder of Conspire Theater. This program inside the minimum and maximum-security units at the Travis County Correctional Complex in Del Valle provides incarcerated women a healing and empowering experience through the arts. Craft teaches theater arts, creative writing, team-building and interpersonal relationship skills to more than sixty women at the jail annually. 

Julieta Garibay is one of the nation’s young leaders and advocates for passage of the DREAM Act. She has risked deportation by becoming a public face of undocumented youth in our nation. As a student at the University of Texas-Austin, Julieta was a co-founder of the Undergraduate Leadership Initiative, an advocacy group comprised of fellow undocumented students, supporters, and family. 

Rina Hartline is director of Texas State Relations for Centerpoint Energy and mentors other women in the fields of energy and government affairs. As the founder of the Association of Women in Energy, Hartline is dedicated to promoting the education and advancement of women and girls in comprehensive energy fields. She is also a student and expects to receive her MBA through UT’s McComb School of Business in 2013. 

Peggy Kelsey created The Afghan Women’s Project to share stories of Afghan women to help change stereotypes. Her photography exhibits are used by organizations worldwide to raise awareness about Afghan Women by seeking out wisdom and sources of strength from women who have experienced repression and hardship. 

Amy Koch works as a Floor Supply Specialist for the Materials Management Department at Seton Medical Center Austin. She is a graduate of Project SEARCH at Seton Healthcare Family, a best practice for hiring individuals with developmental disabilities created at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center. 

Ndeye Boury Silla is one of our community’s outstanding 15-year-olds. The daughter of Senegalese immigrants, she raised more than $900 to purchase school supplies for children in her parent’s native country. She also helped start a book club with other children of African immigrants and is an overall leader in her family and community. 

Marissa Vogel started the non-profit organization Little Helping Hands, which creates and manages volunteer opportunities for younger children and their parents. Through Vogel’s organization families can sign-up for volunteer activities suitable for children making it simple for parents/caregivers looking to introduce children in early childhood to the rewards of helping others and caring for our environment. 

To learn more about Women and Girls Lead: Austin, please click here.