[Tahlia Scherer is a 2025 New Canaan High School graduate.]
In late March of this year, I was home from Northwestern on spring break. During that week, I met for coffee with my mentor, Sheri West, CEO and founder of LiveGirl. Seated at a two-top near the LPQ cafe window, Sheri and I candidly discussed topics like imposter syndrome and career trajectories, for which she was able to offer valuable advice.
Gabrielle (left) was a camper at Camp LiveGirl, Heylin (middle) was a counselor and Makayla (right) is a SHE WORKS Intern who ran camp this summer. All three girls exemplify how opportunities and mentorship at LiveGirl evolve with young women as they grow (photo credit: Tahlia Scherer)
More than just advice, however, I walked away from our meeting with an understanding of how to turn one’s passions into something profound – something that continues to give back, exponentially.
For those unfamiliar with LiveGirl, the non-profit organization was founded in 2014 and aims to equip young women with the skills, mentorship, and opportunities they need to thrive – starting in middle school and continuing through college.
I was inducted into the world of LiveGirl a little later than most – many attend Camp LiveGirl in the summer as middle schoolers or serve as camp counselors in high school. In my case, becoming a LiveGirl meant stepping into the organization under the title of Shine On Scholar and SHE WORKS intern, where I served on LiveGirl’s marketing team this summer.
Campers, camp staff, CEO & founder Sheri West and Tahlia Scherer (bottom left) on the last day of Camp LiveGirl 2026 held at St. Luke’s School (photo credit: Isis-Rae Goulbourne).
Throughout July, as the LiveGirl marketing intern, I attended Camp LiveGirl in the capacity of a storyteller, but in many ways, was inspired as a camper myself. Each day, I listened to speakers and documented their presentations on social media, I captured the smiles and curiosity of campers as they engaged in activities designed to unleash their confidence, and on some days I even flew videography drones. Most importantly, I learned from an extraordinary community of campers, counselors and staff, whose radiant positivity was so clearly infused with the strength and confidence that I witnessed LiveGirl teach and put into practice every single day.
Camp LiveGirl represents an incredible ecosystem of self-discovery and friendship, made possible by an incredible network of New Canaan-based partnerships, including St. Luke’s School. It is through the generosity of donors that 203 amazing girls (many arriving on buses from Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Stamford) were able to attend camp this year.
his year, in keeping with the theme ‘Unique is Chic,’ campers used chemistry to create their own signature perfume scents and bath bombs in the designLab (Photo credit: Tahlia Scherer).
After recovering from storm damage and power outages that delayed the start of camp, the girls arrived on the beautiful St. Luke’s campus, which provides spaces to explore and cultivate all aspects of themselves – whether it was attending LiveGirl’s Brave Leaders Academy, exploring STEM in the school’s state of the art, award-winning designLab, or singing karaoke in the Fireplace Commons to Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo.
My individual experience with LiveGirl is unique and twofold. First, my job as the marketing intern gave me a distinctive perspective as a storyteller responsible for accurately and authentically capturing what makes LiveGirl so special. Second, I also lived it – I was able to learn many valuable skills over the last few weeks, not just through my work alongside LiveGirl’s Senior Director of Marketing Isis-Rae Goulbourne, but also through my SHE WORKS career-readiness training sessions led by Gina Goings.
I believe that LiveGirl’s revolutionary impact centers on evolutionary mentorship and opportunities – which evolve and grow with girls through critical stages of development from middle school through high school, college and beyond. Its tailored programming for young women of varying ages and backgrounds is remarkable and vital in paving the way for a brighter and more empowering future.
Although I was a late inductee to the world of LiveGirl, I am nevertheless eternally grateful to be part of it, and especially so, to the people and places that make it shine.