Award-winning young Ridgeite stands up for women’s rights

An exceptional student, entrepreneur, recipient of several scholarships and National Liberty Museum’s TD Bank Young Heroes Award, as well as an activist for women in the workplace, Bay Ridge native Sheryl Chen has achieved a great deal in her 17 years.

Chen, who just graduated from Staten Island Tech and will be attending the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall, is driven by a passion for equal rights.

“I am an ambitious individual and being a female, I wanted to pave the way for myself,” said the Mark Twain Intermediate School for the Gifted and Talented alum. “From a young age, I knew I wanted to be my own boss and an entrepreneur and CEO of a company I want to start. But as I did research, I discovered only 15 percent of CEOs are female which is a very small minority.”

Determined to make a difference rather than sit on the sidelines, Chen founded Girls Advocating Leadership & Strength (GALS) to help empower younger girls. “I created GALS along with some other girls to advocate for executive women but also to mentor girls ages 13-19 to start dreaming big, advocating for their rights and pursuing their passions,” explained Chen, adding, “It’s been great so far.”

GALS has helped her as well. “It’s really propelled me to cultivate mindfulness and peace, and to use my initiative spirit so I could directly impact and help my community,” she said. “I was 15 when I started this, and seeing this passion come to life, it really helps build more confidence in yourself. Also, it’s been great because, at my workshops, we bring in female panelists including entrepreneurs, supermodels and film directors.”

It has been rewarding for Chen to see girls in the program become more confident. “It’s been great seeing our girls grow because a lot of them come in shy and unsure of what they want to do and come out confident,” she said.

“A lot of them have made waves in their own communities,” Chen went on. “Some started school clubs or businesses. One was even featured in Michelle Obama’s Better Make Room newspaper, and one of the speakers led a petition to join the Boy Scouts and it circulated all across New York City.”

This along with other outreach helped Chen win the National Liberty Museum’s TD Bank Young Heroes Award. “I got nominated by my assistant principal for my work in community service and making a difference as a younger person. Since I worked very closely with him, he was able to see my passion for helping others and especially female empowerment in the corporate world,” she said.

While in Philadelphia, Chen was able to meet like-minded young individuals who are passionate about lots of social issues.

Chen has also participated in conferences across the country. “I attend a lot of female empowerment conferences and on top of that, since I’ve gotten involved in that issue, I’ve been invited to speak at various conferences. I spoke at the United Nations, Princeton University, Columbia University, and a lot of local libraries and schools,” she said, adding that she was nervous. “I was so young. I looked at the other panelists and they were older than me. The woman closest to age to me was 25. They’re all so accomplished. I think being young, a lot of people misjudge you, and nowadays people think millennials are lazy. But I think we are very motivated and want to achieve our goals now.”

Bay Ridge has played an integral part in Chen’s success. “It’s where I started my advocacy and community service and volunteered. I’m leaving Bay Ridge but hopefully I can bring those assets to Philadelphia.”

Chen also won Rookie of the Year honors at the Star Network’s Rising Stars event earlier this year hosted by The Home Reporter.

The future is bright for Chen. She has won over $200,000 in college scholarships and has lofty goals that she is more than capable of accomplishing. “My long-term goals include creating a for-profit company, but one that gives back,” said. “I want to find ways to make non-profits more sustainable and stronger, and also do marketing work as well as write a book.”