State, local leading women honor high school students for Central Falls Leading Ladies Initiative

Tonight, 22 female high school students in Central Falls will receive outstanding recognition from Lt. Governor Matos, Mayor Rivera, and other state and local leaders for their recent participation in the city’s new nationally-recognized “Leading Ladies” initiative.

As Rhode Island’s first Latina mayor, Mayor Rivera is empowered to provide opportunities for future leaders, particularly for girls and students of color. Together with Police Chief Col. Anthony Roberson, they launched a new nationally-recognized “Leading Ladies Initiative” winning seed funding from Target. The Initiative brings together dozens of leading professional mentors (from statewide elected officials, to corporate CEOs, to female police officers, and other “Leading Ladies”) who are matched one-on-one with a student from Central Falls. The students then took part in a multi-day event in March focused on building leadership skills, critical thinking, sound decision making, goal setting, and overcoming obstacles. The students got resume support, professional headshots, workplace appropriate clothing, a $2,000 scholarship, and more.