After September 11th, Ekra was relentlessly bullied at school because of her religion. She felt insecure and isolated – oftentimes eating lunch alone in the school bathroom — and began to fall behind academically.
When Ekra found Girls Inc., the supportive, all-girl environment empowered her to be herself and demand respect inside and outside the classroom. Girls Inc. mentors helped Ekra with her schoolwork. As a result, her grades improved and she began to read at the same level as her peers.
Throughout her 12 years at Girls Inc., Ekra became a peer educator, prepared for college, and landed internships in STEM fields. Today, Ekra is the first person in her family to graduate high school and attend college.
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Ekra currently attends the University of California at Davis and studies Computer Science. She wants to encourage more girls to pursue careers in STEM.