About Us

Who We Are

Girls Rising Strong has been successfully piloted with over 60 girls in the local Atlanta community. Positive feedback from parents, participants, and facilitators highlights its effectiveness in fostering personal growth while promoting virtuous character development for future academic success. By investing in this curriculum, your organization will equip young girls with the tools they need to navigate life’s challenges, build resilience, and become impactful leaders in their communities.

Vision

Our vision is to become a trusted and reputable program that serves as a cornerstone for adolescent development. We aim to create a supportive and nurturing environment where young people can cultivate self-awareness, build emotional resilience, and develop the skills to make positive, informed decisions. By empowering adolescents with these foundational qualities, we strive to guide them toward becoming confident individuals who are equipped to face challenges, embrace opportunities, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Mission

Our mission is to empower young girls by providing them with the essential tools, guidance, and skills needed to navigate the complexities of life with confidence, resilience, and strength. We aim to foster their personal growth, emotional well-being, and leadership capabilities, ensuring they transition into capable, self-assured, and mature young adults ready to make a positive impact on their communities and beyond

Curriculum Team

Sana Imad

Sana Imad is a parent of 3 girls, 12, 11, and 5, the youngest of whom is a child who is level 2 on the spectrum with speech and cognitive deficits. Although she has a background in neuroscience, it was purely through divine intervention that Sana realized she had to learn to parent her second child with a completely different set of personality traits than what she has been used to. After years of personal research and development, Sana began to notice a lack of content addressing character development in young adolescents. Girls Rising Strong was created to fill that void.

Ivana Zajkovska

Ivana has a background in Education and Positive Youth Development and is the Founder and CEO of Youth360° - The Center for Youth Thriving. Driven by a deep passion for empowering young minds and fostering positive change at all levels of society, she has dedicated her career to helping youth thrive in today's rapidly evolving world. Ivana has been instrumental in organizing and enhancing the pre-existing content. Her efforts helped create a more cohesive and engaging learning experience for participants. Additionally, Ivana played a key role in developing the facilitator handbook and training, ensuring that the program is consistent, impactful, and aligned with best practices in education and positive youth development.

Sameera Omar

Sameera is an Atlanta native who studied Psychology at Georgia Tech. Her experience working with a variety of tech start-ups fueled her passion for community building and organizational development. She is also a graduate of Bayyinah Institute and is currently enrolled at Qalam. Over the last 12 years she has amassed a significant amount of experience in working with youth both personally and professionally. Sameera was instrumental in the creation of content for the pilot program of Girls Rising Strong and her work on that continues to provide the foundational basis for the first full year of content. She loves hiking, traveling, burritos, tennis, and curling up to a solid book.

Aminah Muhammad

Aminah is a native of greater Atlanta who grew up in the culturally rich suburbs of Gwinnett County. She is currently a second year in the Middle Grades Education program at UGA. She has been teaching Sunday school programs for the last two years and is passionate about not just teaching youth but mentoring and coaching them as well. Aminah has played a key role in assisting with structural as well as creative support to the development of content.

Dr Marilyn Preston

A seasoned expert in curriculum design, program evaluation, and research methodologies, with over a decade of experience driving social change through education and health equity. Holding a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies, she specializes in policy analysis, program development, and advocacy, all rooted in a strong commitment to social justice and anti-racist education. As the founder of Read the World Consulting, Marilyn provides tailored consulting services in curriculum design, program evaluation, DEI training, and leadership development. Her expertise in participatory evaluation and inclusive pedagogy ensures impactful, equity-driven solutions for organizations seeking sustainable change. Passionate about fostering civic engagement and systemic transformation, Marilyn is dedicated to helping clients achieve their goals with precision and empathy.

Auxillary Team

Lubna Merchant

Operations and Logistics

Allison Forrer

Facilitator Training Manual

Kennedy Rome

Toolkit Designer

Dr Yousuf Raza

MD, PHD

Sh Vajid Pathan

Religious Leader

Olivia Smith

Content Editor

Sabeen Rana, LCSW

Consultant

Carmen Bessant LMFT