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Middle School Girls’ Empowerment Summit Returns to Sage Hill
The eighth annual GEMfest hosted about 70 middle school girls from across the region for a day of inspiration and mentorship at Sage Hill School on March 7.
The Girls’ Empowerment Movement (GEM) is a Sage Hill student-led service-learning group that hosts an annual girls’ empowerment and leadership conference.
Orange County firefighter and Sage Hill alumna Emily Lassiter ‘17 delivered the keynote address, sharing her story from Sage Hill to the fire academy.
“We think it's so important to engage and empower middle school girls, especially during such a formative time in their lives,” GEMfest co-presidents Annika Shah ‘26 and Vivi Ta ‘26 said. “While middle school can be hard for girls, we hope our event can build their confidence and encourage them to fearlessly pursue their dreams and be their true selves”
Annika added that she joined the Women's March for years as an elementary and middle school student. These experiences shaped her view of women's empowerment, motivating her to share that attitude and community with others.
“I loved attending GEMFest in middle school, and the experience I had inspired me to give back and organize an engaging, fun and inspiring event for girls,” Vivi said.
This year, GEMfest attendees had the option of attending two workshops on topics including dance, sustainable fashion, photography and printing, robotics, STEAM and magazine production.
Each attendee went home with a swag bag with products graciously provided by event sponsors. Middle school girls also made friends from across Orange County while enjoying flower crown making, a donut wall and friendship bracelets.
Sage Hill School
A college preparatory independent day school for grades 7-12.
20402 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Coast, CA 92657
Phone: 949.219.0100 | Fax: 949.219.1399
20402 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Coast, CA 92657
Phone: 949.219.0100 | Fax: 949.219.1399
Sage Hill School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, and athletic and other School administered programs.