Come hear from four amazing powerhouse women and learn about confidence, female empowerment, and more from their journeys!

About this event

This is the kickoff event for the Life School Youth Leadership. The Life School Youth leadership aims to help empower the next generation of young people to be the best version of themselves through online events and more! The host for this event will be former Miss Connecticut Teen USA 2020, Samantha Sarelli, the current executive director for the Life School Youth Leadership. The panelists for this Female Empowerment and Leadership Event are as follow:

Andreia Gibau

Andreia is the reigning Miss New York USA 2020, Miss Earth USA 2017 and Miss Teen United States 2015. She is a speaker, writer, influencer & a philanthropist working with New York Cares, Best Buddies, and Princess Chambers inc. She considers philanthropy to be at the core of her identity due to being born into poverty in Cape Verde. Immigrating to the United States at the age of seven, living in an inner city, and not speaking English presented many challenges to Andreia. She serves as an advocate for inner city and underprivileged youth and is committed to elevating the voices of others, to influence change in society, and to spark meaningful conversations through her skill set and humanitarianism. Andreia is a graduate of St. John’s University having obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in public relations and certification in public speaking through the Professional Speakers Federation. Andreia has been featured on Inside Edition, Extra, Good Day NY, Glamour Magazine, E! News, People.com and more! She was named Phoenix magazine’s 30 under 30 for philanthropy and speaks 4 languages.

Molly Qerim

Molly Qerim Rose is the familiar female face and voice who commands the desk on ESPN’s hit morning show, First Take. The Emmy award-winning Qerim Rose is at the helm, working alongside Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman to moderate two very strong personalities with both warmth and authority. In this role, she regularly showcases her ability to connect with a wide variety of guests through interview segments. Qerim Rose thrives in front of a live audience when First Take travels to marquee sporting events as an on-site presence for ESPN. Early in her career, Qerim Rose spent four years at ESPN beginning in 2006 contributing to digital and mobile platforms, earning an Emmy in 2008 for her work on fantasy football now. Her next stops included CBS sports (New York City) covering college football and basketball, among other major events, and NFL network (Los Angeles), hosting NFL am and NFL Fantasy Live. Qerim Rose returned to ESPN in 2015 and was immediately tapped to host First Take, the position she currently holds. In addition to covering all the championship events, Qerim Rose has a breadth of experience with celebrity red carpets, a-list musical and tv/film guest interviews, UFC/MMA coverage, tennis, boxing and more. Off camera, Qerim Rose is a philanthropist and ambassador for Boys and Girls Club of America, the Innocence Project and is an advocate for endometriosis awareness. A native of Connecticut, Qerim Rose graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in business administration. She received a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Quinnipiac University and was inducted into their inaugural hall of fame class in 2020. She is married to former NBA star and media personality Jalen Rose.

Taliyah McGee

Taliyah McGee was born at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven Connecticut. Taliyah was raised in West Haven, Connecticut and attended Betsy Ross Arts Magnet Middle School, and Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School where her emphasis was dance. Growing up Taliyah was always active as a competitive gymnast for twelve years, dancer, and Collegiate level Cheerleader. Taliyah was raised in a christian household, and is a firm believer of Jesus Christ. Taliyah is one of four siblings and the youngest girl in her family. At the age of fourteen, Taliyah pioneered a program called “Shape The Nation: Combating Childhood Obesity through Physical fitness and Health.” Shape The Nation is a comprehensive initiative dedicated to educating children, ages five to seventeen, on how to live a healthy lifestyle. Taliyah always had a passion for helping youth achieve goals traveling around the state of Connecticut to various schools, churches, and community centers where she hosts workout-a-thons to increase physical activity and its impact on your mental and emotional health. In 2019, Taliyah founded “Triumph Talk.” Triumph Talk is a program dedicated to helping young women overcome traumatic experiences. It is a support group built to amplify the voice of survivors and overcomers as they often are victimized. Triumph Talk provides resources for women as we partner with many clinical professionals and therapists to help guide women to “Triumph OVER Trauma.” Overcoming a rare eye condition Nystagmus, Aneurysmal Bone Cyst, and Sexual Assault, Taliyah had the abilty to turn her pain into purpose. Taliyah did not let her trauma deter her from being the woman she knew God had called for her to be. Through her healing process, she found her purpose which was to help other women overcome their trauma. Taliyah believes that “there is beauty in our wounds and timing is key, a butterfly stays in its cocoon until it’s ready to blossom and soar, be patient and steadfast.”

Shayla Montgomery

Shayla is a firm believer it takes perseverance to reach your goals. At 18, Shayla is a junior in college, a woman in science, and adores outdoor adventures! During high school, Shayla was able to receive not only her diploma but also her associate’s degree. Upon graduation from college, she hopes to become a Nurse Practitioner in Dermatology. Throughout her childhood, Shayla struggled with self-love and now sees young girls with the same issues she had. This is why she created Teens Speak Life, a national movement that promotes self-love and positive teen interaction. During her pageant career, she has held multiple state titles through National American Miss and International Junior Miss while also being a national titleholder for National American Miss as the 2015-2016 National American Miss Pre-Teen. However, her biggest goal in pageantry was to walk the Miss Teen USA stage as Miss Oregon Teen USA. After placing first-runner up to Miss Teen USA as Miss Oregon this November her pageant career has been put on pause until she obtains her doctorate degree. Shayla now focuses her spare time mentoring young women and coaching them to be the best version of themselves alongside her dad with their pageant coaching business Believe Consulting.

Source: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/female-leadership-and-confidence-panel-tickets-164061431157?fbclid=IwAR2TbnkBLI1hPmBNH9YkF_wh2ISKEYhdgduIAnbk5OfzZMWsM6qCj_wGu7E