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.
Ekra currently attends the University of California at Davis and studies Computer Science. She wants to encourage more girls to pursue careers in STEM.