Hewitt students attended the Global Conversation on the Power of Educating Adolescent Girls event to hear empowering women such as First Lady Michelle Obama speak about the importance of girls education.
On September 29, 2015, nine Hewitt middle school students along with the class of ’19, arrived in east Harlem’s historic Apollo Theatre. Thanks to Girl Up, an organization that Hewitt’s service board has worked with for five years, Hewitt students had the privilege to hear from a whole host of inspiring speakers. The speaker lineup included: Julia Gillard, the former prime minister of Australia, Charlize Theron, Academy Award winning actress, First Michelle Obama, and Nurfarhana, a young Philippine social activist. 
Hewitt students were ecstatic for the event and felt privileged to hear these inspiring women speak about girls education.
“I think this is really important, and an opportunity to see how girls are empowering and to get girls around the world a proper education,” said Phoebe Baraker ‘20.
These four panelists took questions from the audience, spoke about the power of an education, and discussed the privilege that girls in New York City have of attending school .
“We want you girls to know about these 62 million girls to inspire you to not take your education for granted,” said Ms. Obama.
Students in attendance learned how an education shapes girls’ futures, helps girls make better decisions, and teaches girls to protect themselves from diseases. Millions of girls don’t have access to education because their families or cultures don’t see the value in educating young women. In some countries, like Pakistan, girls face assaults or deaths for attending school.
Students learned that education can act as a “social vaccine” against many diseases like HIV and AIDS, which are most prevalent in African countries, in part, because girls do not have equal access to education.
Over 1,000 young women attended this event to learn about the significance of educating girls and how to help the 62 million girls who are deprived of one.
“Look in the mirror and see yourself and say . . . I am smart, I am intelligent, I am powerful, I have a voice,” said Ms. Theron, who has worked with young adults in Africa to battle HIV and AIDS.
The four speakers taught the attendees that every girl is powerful and can make a change; every girl can utilize and value her education to change the world; every girl can be an advocate for other girls around the world.
“Read, write, go to school . . . you are all capable, but we have to spread that word; and first and foremost, we have to believe it to be true for ourselves,” said the First Lady.