In 2023, GirlsUP was thrilled to officially partner with The New York Times! As a result of our partnership, FIVE of our GirlsUP Teen Board members were selected to receive FULL MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS to attend innovative and prestigious two week academic programs in Manhattan offered by The New York Times’ Summer Academy. They lived in the dormitories at Fordham University, attended courses taught by New York Times journalists and participated in exciting events offered throughout NYC! The course offerings were fascinating and far-ranging and included exploration of photo journalism, pop culture as art, playwriting, entrepreneurship and international human rights. We were also thrilled that FIVE additional GIrlsUP Teen Board members were selected to receive FULL MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS to attend virtual programming from the New York Times Summer Academy. Our GirlsUP Girls who were selected for these honors were Kennedy Moore; Mary Kate Friel; Morgan Thompson; Brielle Anderson; Lucy Sampson.; Bryce Dougherty; Sophia Heiss; Kennedy Cawley; Celeste Dolan and Katie McCabe. GirlsUP Girl Brielle Anderson, a junior at Bethesda Chevy Chase (pictured above with another GirlsUP Girl scholarship recipient, Kennedy Moore, a junior at Visitation) , was awarded a merit scholarship for the Pop Culture as Art and Business seminar, where she says she was inspired to “question easy presumptions about art” and had the opportunity “to make new friends from all around the world.”