Female Leaders Of The Americas
About Us
Female Leaders of the America was founded by Leslie, Gianela, and Kristie in early 2021 after receiving a mini-grant from the U.S. Department of State and Steven's Initiative. Through this program, we hope to connect young girls from throughout the world and inspire them to be leaders and pursue careers related to government, politics, international relations, language, culture, and a variety of other fields. Learn more about us below!
Our team
Kristie M.
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Pronouns: She/her
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Kristie is a Junior at the University of California, Berkeley studying Global Studies. She is passionate about international exchange, global education, and foreign languages. Kristie co-founded FLOTA as a high school student in order to promote mutual understanding and foster dialogue between youth from North and South America. She is so excited to see the project grow and reach event more people.
Sabrina S.
Co-Director
Pronouns: She/they
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Sabrina is a currently a high school student in the United States. In her free time, she plays piano, go on hikes, and enjoys watching movies centered around environmentalism or philosophy.
"Connecting with fellow like-minded youth to learn about our cultures and histories is extremely important to me, and I’m so glad to be a part of the FLOTA program!"
Rayssa S.
Executive Director
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Rayssa is a 18 years old Brazilian girl from the northeast region. She is very passionate about many things in life, like politics, literature, music, cinema, sports, nature, and many other things. Her personal goal is to make a difference in the lives of the ones that need a change in our society independent of the professional path she'll choose. As a FLOTA Director, she feels very confident about the good work that this project has been doing and will continue to do with its growth every year.
Maria Luiza F.
Executive Director
Pronouns: She/her
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Maria Luiza is the FLOTA Director (she had the opportunity to be president in FLOTA 2022 and Alumni Engagement Director & Virtual Partner Call Director in 2023) and a young Brazilian who loves to write, read, draw and play guitar. In addition, by encouraging each participant to be a leader, provide contact with other bright girls and cultures, and remind us that we should not remain on the fringes of ignorance, she thinks that it is a great honor to help amplify the voices of the program!
Luiza B.
Curriculum Director
Pronouns: She/her
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Luiza is a teenager from Brazil who is passionate about politics and social impact. She is a Latin America enthusiast who was brought to FLOTA by her wish to connect with more people from the Americas and learn more about the region. She participated in the 2022 cohort and now is the curriculum coordinator, overseeing the program's curriculum.
Morgan M.
Government & Politics Track Director
Pronouns: She/her
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Morgan is currently a Junior in high school from Pittsburgh, PA. She is interested in international relations, global politics, and foreign cultures! Morgan currently works at a radio station that focuses on youth expression and audio-engineering. In her free time, she studies Arabic, reads, and bakes often.
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Valeria P.
International Relations Track Director
Pronouns: She/Her
Valeris is a 17 year old Peruvian girl. She is passionate about education, STEM, literature, music, series, learning Chinese and even more! Her personal goal is to make an impact in education and also inspire the lives of those around her. As director of the II.RR, she feels very enthusiastic and confident in the great work of the FLOTA members.
Daniela C.
Language & Culture Track Director
Pronouns: She/her
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Daniela is a Brazilian student who's highly passionate about politics and international relations. One of her biggest goals is to
make an impactful change in her community by engaging with charitable initiatives! In the meantime, she also likes to play tennis and read books!
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Eila K.
Law & Human Rights Track Director
Pronouns: She/Her
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Eila is a 17 year old from Pennsylvania who is passionate about helping people & the planet. “The FLOTA Program is an opportunity for me not only to help spread knowledge but to also help others. Through this program I will be able to meet many different women all from different backgrounds and cultures. FLOTA helps me to grow in knowledge and understanding.”
Amanda A.
Outreach Director
Pronouns: She/her
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Amanda is a Brazilian girl who is an environmental control technician and is currently studying International Relations at university. She is passionate about diplomacy, it is her dream to become a diplomat. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading and playing computer games. She speaks Portuguese, English and is learning Spanish.
Elizabeth H.
Outreach Director
Pronouns: She/Her
Elizabeth is currently a high school student in Boston, Massachusetts. She is passionate about global politics, literature, and science. Elizabeth speaks Mandarin Chinese and is semi-successfully trying to learn Swedish. In her free time, she figure skates, reads, bakes, and likes to hike with her dog.
Dessiree M.
Outreach and Social Media Director
Pronouns: She/Her
Dessiree is a Peruvian teenager who is passionate about leadership, volunteering, knowledge and innovation. “For me, the FLOTA program is an opportunity to make an impact, the experience of the program is unique. You can connect with a lot of extraordinary girls from all around the americas and get to know their culture. It's so inspiring and such an amazing experience.”
Valentina
Community Development Director
Pronouns: She/Her
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Valentina is a 18 year old dynamic and driven Brazilian with a passion for empowering women and fostering social change. She is the founder of the Girls' Empowerment Council of The Americas (GECA), leading initiatives to uplift and empower young girls across the region. As Community Development Director for FLOTA 2023 and 2024, she is committed to driving personal growth and creating an inclusive space for young girls in the Americas. During her free time, she is probably enjoying a good romance book, watching her comfort TV shows, and hanging out with her closest friends.
Alice P. R.
Alumni Engagement Director
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A high-schooler from Brazil who is passionate about social impact, leadership skills, and personal growth. Besides her native language, she speaks English and a little Spanish and is currently learning German. In her free time, she volunteers in different initiatives, practices Muay Thai, dances, and enjoys reading books. As a feminist activist, she joined FLOTA to exchange knowledge and perspectives to help her community and beyond. As a FLOTA director, she is determined to guide others to grow and create a network of amazing girls around the continent, just as she did in the last edition.
Juliana C.
Program Activity Coordinator
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Juliana is a senior high schooler and an aspiring psychologist. She enjoys reading, drawing, singing and chess. The young girl is extremely passionate about changing the flawed education system of South America and increasing access to knowledge about scholarships and opportunities in the USA to other young girls. She's working to become a polyglot, currently speaking Portuguese, English, Spanish and a little Japanese.
The Female Leaders of the Americas program is currently supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of State and Steven's Initiative. For more information about our sponsor, please read their statement below!
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"The Stevens Initiative Alumni Small Grants: The Experiment Digital is funded by the Stevens Initiative which is sponsored by the US Department of State and administered by the Aspen Institute. The Stevens Initiative is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. The Initiative is an international effort to build global competence and career readiness skills for young people in the United States, the Middle East and North Africa."