A State Farm neighborhood assistance grant went to Imara (ee-mah-rah) Roose, a local mentoring program based at Eleanor Roosevelt High School (ERHS). The Imara Roose program was selected out of 2,000 applicants nationwide after a 10-day crowd-sourcing campaign that solicited voting from the public; the program was voted in as one of the top 40 winners.
Imara Roose is a volunteer-based mentoring program for girls of color staffed by women of color. The program strives to empower young Black and Brown girls so that they can break through career and professional barriers in society that exist as a result of systemic racism.
Halima Adenegan, founder and chief elevation officer of Imara Roose, is a first-generation American who was inspired to return to her alma mater, ERHS, to create a program that could be a resource for Black and Brown girls who have career ambitions and aspirations. The program prepares the girls for the likelihood that they will face barriers and challenges because of their race and gender.
In Swahili, imara means strong and resolute, characteristics Black and Brown girls will need to possess to succeed in the face of countless barriers to equitable access and opportunities. Staffed by volunteers who are young professional women of color, including both undergraduate and graduate students, Imara Roose has positively impacted over 100 girls.
Volunteer mentors use a research-based framework to support mentees with a focus on personal development, academic goals and professional aspirations. The high school girls receive guidance in the areas of college applications, scholarship essays, SAT preparation, professional networking, improving time management, and planning and organizational skills. The program offers weekly meetings, where a range of topics from self-awareness to health and wellness are discussed. Imara Roose offers a College and Career Readiness Workshop to assist mentees with increasing academic engagement and college preparedness.
Through panels and field trips, Imara Roose’s career exploration component widens mentees’ exposure to and connections with professional fields in which they may have been traditionally underrepresented. Field trips have included visits to such places as the Supreme Court, the White House and Google. Each mentee can receive one-on-one support through the Bigs & Littles mentoring program. Imara Roose is open to all girls in grades 9 to 12 who attend ERHS.
On Imara Roose’s website, Adenegan writes that, “We are doing this invaluable work because it is needed. Winning State Farm’s grant competition will serve as a true catalyst, better positioning us to scale, replicate and customize our model in schools and districts across the county.” Reginald McNeill, ERHS principal, praised Imara Roose saying, “Because of the young women who have volunteered over the years and continue to do so virtually during Covid-19, I’ve witnessed growth in countless students.”
More information about Imara Roose can be found at imararoose.org.