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Nataly Abreu

English Composition 102.04

Discourse Community: Final Draft

11 March 2019

Yes She Can Campaign: The Final Push

Imagine a world without having the capacity of speaking up for yourself. A world in

which empowerment, supportiveness, and kindness do not exist. A world in which your opinion

would not even matter. Furthermore, imagine being in a community that lacks diversity. You

might feel two types of emotions: scared or empowered. As Zaniya Lewis, founder of Yes She

Can Campaign, YSCC, explains, an individual can use those emotions as their advantage. Since

she did, it helped her grew and gave her the power to create the Yes She Can Campaign, which

helps, supports, and advice young women about not only academic but also personal topics.

Created by a college student, Zaniya Lewis, this campaign

grew after Lewis decided that she wanted to make a difference in

not only her community but around the world. In a Youtube

interview from Good Day DC, Lewis explains how her inspiration

grew after meeting with Michelle Obama, shown in the picture on

the right published by the magazine, Seventeen. Lewis, who

submitted and won an essay contest from Seventeen, describes how

it led her to one of the most significant days of her life, as she

explains in the video. Meeting up with Michelle Obama was inspiring since Obama talked to
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Lewis about college, the future, and how to avoid the “haters” (#YesSheCanCampaign Visits

‘Good Day DC,’ 00:00:22-00:00-26).

In the interview, Lewis talked about how her past also encouraged her to this campaign

since, as she explains in the video, she was the only African American in her class. This lack of

diversity gave her the strength to start doing community service to meet more individuals. As she

was doing these activities, she realized that they were helping her overcome adversity and that

she could utilize her words “to make a difference” (#YesSheCanCampaign Visits ‘Good Day

DC,’ 00:01:36-00:01:46). For that reason, she created her non-profit organization, Yes She Can

Campaign.

Middle school to college young women can join this movement and get the support they

need to achieve their educational goals — support, helpless, and awareness. Members are always

sharing how this campaign has helped them overcome multiple obstacles. One of the ways that

they do it is through social media. As I interviewed Lewis through text message, she explained

how her campaign is “all about social media since we do everything on it and we grow together

as a family throughout the use of social media” (Lewis). By the use of Instagram, Facebook, and

Twitter, they have new members that join them after seeing their post (e.g., pictures and videos).

Once a week, they do the “Yes She Can Spotlight,” in which they share the story of one

of the members that are trying to overcome her obstacle of adversity while trying to get her

education. By publishing a picture and their story, other members can interact and give

supportive comments and opinions to that individual. This organization also has the “ambassador

program,” which allows individuals to promote the campaign in their community. In exchange,

YSCC members help those individuals with how to apply for scholarships, and they give out
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academic advising. Since both sides are getting an award, it is a win-win situation. Students are

getting skills for the future while the campaign is attracting more women to join it.

By utilizing the hashtag “#YesSheCanCampaign,” members can bring up the attention to

many individuals since hashtags are known as a way to promote any group not only in Instagram

but also in Facebook and Twitter. Members also use the abbreviation #YSCC, Yes She Can

Campaign, as a hashtag, to leave their signature in each post. For example, in one of their latest

post, they publish about the Sparkle Summit 2019, and at the end, they left their #YSCC

signature.

The Sparkle Summit, a yearly meeting in which members of the YSCC, 5th grade to

college students, and parents or guardians, get together to discuss their opinions about different

topics, to listen to multiple speakers, to eat, and to have fun as a family. In this summit,

individuals can talk about some significant issues. Some of the subjects include love, justice,

safety, change, equality, and others. In Lewis’ interview, she also mentioned how in The Sparkle

Summit 2017, they were able to give out backpacks full of school supplies to military children,

“it was also one of the best moments I had” (Lewis).

While going through their website and social media, I realized that one of the phrases that

mostly stands out and that they utilize a lot in their community is “KEEP CLIMBING!” and

“RISE UP.” The meaning of these phrases, viewing it from their point of view, is that it is

essential that women keep overcoming their obstacles and that they understand that they have a

voice. A voice that they can raise up and not only tell the world their stories and opinions but

also, make a huge difference in someone's life that can easily relate to their own story. Being
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able to rise and talk about how to overcome the challenge of being diverse while getting an

education has been that last push on those young girls that are afraid of speaking up.

There are times in which it is necessary to have someone that comprehends and pushes

you to your limits. By the use of their five pillars which are education, service, opportunity,

advocacy, and empowerment, members of the YSCC are the final push for young girls to stop

being afraid. The picture on the right, published by the

Yes She Can Campaign website, shows YSCC members

helping young girls to develop the right pathway to

succeed in the future. As Zaniya Lewis once said “...

though our five pillars, girls and young women will have

the resources to continue to climb and despite obstacles.

We are proof of that” (Lewis, 2016).

“In three words, how would you describe this organization?” I asked my interviewee and

friend, Ruth Germosen, a current member of the Yes She Can Campaign. “Awesome, supportive,

and dedicated,” she responded. As my interview when along, I realized how passionate she was

towards her not so long accomplishment of being part of the organization. She also mentioned

how she became a member after seeing a post on Instagram which said at the end “#YSCC.” “I

was too curious about what it meant, so I click on it. I was speechless since I finally found my

community” (Germosen).

Ruth, who is a charming, likable, and sympathetic person, has shown that what she loves

most is how YSCC is always helping women and looking out for them, “we are a family,”

(Germosen). Ruth also talked about one of the best moments that she has experienced while
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being a member. “I remember how we went to talk to middle school girls, and I could see the

fear in their eyes,” she said. She explained to me how at the beginning, the students felt scared

because they were overwhelmed with all the information they got about going from middle

school to high school. However, after YSCC members started to talk to them about how

important education is and how they will quickly adapt to high school, the girls began to feel less

fearful. In the end, Ruth encourages me to look over their social media since “it has been a big

help in the growth and development of this campaign” (Germosen).

The process of becoming a member includes sending a petition through their website. In

which, the board of directors will then see it, and they would decide if the petitioner has the

requirements needed, which includes being in middle school, high school, or college. After

becoming a member, the individual will become part of the YSCC family which takes place in

Burlington County, New Jersey or social media.

The Yes She Can Campaign is a place where young women can feel empowered. Its

primary goal has become to provide them a platform in which they can share who they are to

other members of the campaign. By sharing their obstacles and how they overcome it, more

specifically, talking about diversity and education, other individuals reading their stories can

relate to it and understand that it can get better. YSCC has become an inspiration and motivation

to the lives of many young women.

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Works Cited

Germose, Ruth. Personal interview. 24 February 2019.

Lewis, Zaniya. Personal interview. 28 February 2019.

Person. “First Lady Michelle Obama Is Here to Make Going to College Way Less Stressful.”

Seventeen​, Seventeen, 18 July 2017,

www.seventeen.com/life/news/a39681/michelle-obama-better-make-room/.

Wttg. “#YesSheCanCampaign Visits 'Good Day DC'.” ​WTTG,​

www.fox5dc.com/news/308746448-video.

“A Place Where You Can Inspire, Encourage and Share Your Story.” ​A Place Where You Can

Inspire, Encourage and Share Your Story.​, www.yesshecancampaign.com/.