At this year’s Strong, Smart, and Bold Awards, our signature celebration of girl, community, and partner empowerment, Katherine Yevzerov was named our 2025 Eureka! Girl of the Year. As our keynote speaker, Katherine shared a powerful story of how Girls Inc. shaped her confidence, sparked her passion for advocacy, and inspired her to make a real difference on a local and national stage.

If you didn’t get a chance to hear her speak in person, you can now read the full speech below.

“76% of high school students know more about the biology of frogs than the human female body.

When I first heard this statistic during a Zoom call with 11 other girls from around the US and Canada, I realized just how much I took my education for granted.  Throughout my junior year of high school, as a member of the National Teen Advocacy Council of Girls Inc., I met virtually with other girls to discuss topics that are important to us. In July, as the culmination of this program, we had the opportunity to lobby for one of these topics. After much deliberation, we eventually settled on lobbying for comprehensive sexual education, specifically the bill: Real and Equal Access to Healthy Youth Act, also known as REAHYA.

When we finally met in July on the biggest legislative stage in the United States —Washington, D.C.—I realized how wildly different we all were. Some of the girls called soda “pop,” while others have never had a Mars bar, and most importantly, our educational experiences varied drastically, from sex-ed to math, and even history. Still, we quickly bonded over our shared interests, from the Disney movies we loved to the music we listened to. All of us had led different lives leading up to this week, but our paths led us there, to D.C. 

The night before we lobbied, we stayed up well past midnight, finalizing our speeches and rehearsing what we would say. Hearing that statistic about frog anatomy yet again, I realized just how much I learned from and bonded with these girls, and how much I had changed as a person in just these past few days. Then, the big day came. Running on adrenaline, we spent hours in the scorching heat in our business clothes lobbying in the congressional offices and having meeting after meeting with multiple staffers. One of whom was a representative of our local congressman, Paul Tonko. 

Finding out that same night that Paul Tonko had signed on as a co-sponsor for REAHYA had me and my newfound friends jumping for joy on the sidewalk. At that moment, I knew what we had said during those meetings mattered. Our differences and similarities brought us to that point in time, celebrating the beginning of new opportunities for students nationwide. Our individual stories, lives, and experiences made a difference on a national level. These were the combined efforts of the girls from rural Texas, the cities of Kentucky, the boroughs of New York City, the mountains of Colorado, and the one from Clifton Park.

Without the Teen Advocacy Council, the Eureka program, or Girls Inc. as a whole, I would have never met such a diverse group of people with unique life stories, and I would have never learned so much about the world around me. The Teen Advocacy Council was just one of the many memorable activities in which I participated in during my time with Girls Inc. Summer camps at UAlbany exposed me to a college campus and allowed me to meet with and interact with people on the tail end of the COVID lockdown. My Internship at the Schenectady Sustainable Living Center taught me so much about gardening, harvesting, sustainability, and even customer service. Webinars, workshops, and so much more have allowed me to not only learn about fields in STEM but to explore the world around me, meet new people, and have new experiences. This is just a small sampling of the activities that have shaped me into who I am today, teaching me everything from leadership to confidence. Just a few years ago, I would have never had the confidence to even apply to the National Teen Advocacy Council, let alone get up here today to give this speech. 

I have learned so much and have been guided by many while on my Eureka journey, from peer mentors to my camp counselors and even internship supervisors. However, out of all of these, one name stands out. From day one, she has responded to every email, every question, and even took the time to write my college recommendation. Thank you so much, Kelly Mucci, for everything you have done for me and the Eureka and Girls Inc. programs. Everything you do truly makes a difference. 

Now, as my senior year of high school comes to a close, I’m excited to continue my education at the University at Buffalo studying biomedical engineering. In college and beyond, I hope to continue to create positive change in our world, using my voice to advocate for girls everywhere and, most importantly, ensuring all students have access to inclusive and comprehensive education, everything from sex-ed to all STEM fields. I can say with confidence that any change I leave behind, whatever my legacy is, Eureka will forever be a part of it.”