After she graduates from Washington Latin Public Charter School in May 2020, Lizbeth wants to learn more about the criminal justice system as well other subjects like social work and psychology. It’s all to serve her future professional goal of attending law school and becoming a public attorney.

What is something you are most proud of?

I’m most proud of how much I’ve grown since ninth grade and how much more open-minded I’ve become. I now have the confidence to discuss what’s really important to me.

Have you gone through any tough or challenging times? If yes, how did you deal with those challenges?

When I have gone through tough challenges, I haven’t always known how to deal with them. I have often ignored them and pursued different activities at school as a distraction. But, when I can’t keep up my act of being okay, I try to open up to others.

What does it mean to you to be selected as a Girl on the Rise?

It means a lot to me because I can do college visits and there isn’t so much pressure on me to hopefully choose the right school without having seen it. Also, there is less stress on my mother to pay for a college visit.

What inspired you to want to be involved with Girls on the Rise?

I wanted to get involved because it’s an organization that really wants to help you and get to know you — not just give money to you and that’s it.

How will funding from the 1,000 Dreams Fund help you reach your goals? In other words: Why is the opportunity to visit your prospective colleges important to your journey?

It will help me by allowing me to visit colleges, which is very important to me. I want to be sure of the school I choose to attend and to know that I’m going to get what I need from it.

What schools will you use the funding to visit, and why?

I would use the funding to visit Clark Atlanta University because it’s the furthest school from me, among my list of top picks. It is also a school that I’ve been interested in for a long time.