Jasmine then, left with mentor Ashley Boynton, rightJasmine now

In honor of Step Up’s 15^th anniversary, we’re catching up with some of our most memorable teen programs participants who are now busy fulfilling their potential and changing the world!

It’s not where you start; it’s where you finish. It’s a timeless phrase, but there may be no better example of the sentiment than the story of Jasmine, now a Step Up alumna.

Jasmine was raised in the projects around crime, drugs and misfortune. She became a survivor at a young age when she found her family unraveling around her. “Growing up, I never had a typical role model. I never had someone tell me about successful experiences because I was rarely around people who were successful.”
more on Jasmine

Lea Goldman

Lea Goldman is the Features & Special Projects Director of Marie Claire magazine, where she specializes in career and workplace matters and oversees the magazine’s MC@Work franchise. Previously, she was a Senior Editor at Forbes Magazine, where she was responsible the magazine and website’sentertainment coverage, including the publication of that magazine’s annual Celebrity 100 list of the Top Earning Entertainers in Hollywood. In partnership with E! Entertainment Television, Lea helped produce and appeared in Forbes’ hour-long TV specials based on Forbes lists. She was also a regular contributor to Fox News Channel programs like Forbes on Fox and Your World with Neil Cavuto. She is the recipient of the James Aronson Award for Social Justice in Journalism and earned a National Magazine Award nomination for her piece on “The Big Business of Breast Cancer”. Lea graduated from Columbia University (CC ’98) where she studied literature.

Exclusively for readers of the Step Up Blog, Lea invites you to check out the new edition of Marie Claire@Work!

Then, continue the conversation on the Marie Claire Career Network on LinkedIn–the only online community for professional woman who are stylish, smart, and successful–just like you! Join now for exclusive access to networking events, curated career content, and the opportunity to network with leaders in your industry.

read Step Up’s conversation with Lea Goldman

Liz Dennery Sanders

Luminary Circle founding member and former chair of the Los Angeles Board of Directors Liz Dennery Sanders offers Step Up members insight each month into key steps to success.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the lessons that life has taught me so far. On the eve of my 45th birthday, I’m certainly not the same person I was twenty years ago.

I struggled as a teen and through my 20’s to find my voice and connect to who I was as an individual. At the time, I didn’t have mentors or role models to give me the type of direction I craved.

It’s taken a long time and lots of personal work, but I finally feel as though I’ve racked up enough years and experience to share a little bit of wisdom.
read more

Power Hour 2013 volunteers

A special thank you and shout out to all of the amazing women who volunteered at Power Hour in New York on April 25th ! They were reliable, friendly and efficient all at the same time. We could not make events like Power Hour happen without these amazing women and we salute them this month!

Joy Woo

Joy Woo is a Step Up senior who has decided to take on a cross country adventure for the school of her dreams, Juniata College in Pennsylvania. Through Step Up, she discovered that she was looking for a school that had professors who were invested and students who felt the same. She learned that she did not want to or have to sacrifice one passion for another by picking just one major. After visiting Juniata, she knew she found the right fit!

Joy has officially enrolled as part of the class of 2017 and will be majoring in Biochemestry with a minor in Theatre.