Cabinet Reflections: Hope Hoffman
Hope Hoffman has been a member of the Governor-appointed Young Women’s Cabinet since its inception in 2017. She shared the following remarks at the Young Women’s Cabinet Celebration, concluding the group’s third session as a cohort engaged in leadership development, grantmaking, policy advocacy, and more to move forward the recommendations in the Blueprint for Action.
Who the heck am I? My name is Hope.
I’m a third-year
Soon-to-be-alumna Cabinet member.
And saying this with nostalgia and gratitude,
I won’t say that I’m a completely different person than I was three years ago. I will say I’m the most myself that I’ve ever been.
That statement comes from a place of hardship, battle, and reflection.
I was 19 when I started this journey with the Young Women’s Initiative.
I was struggling physically with my health,
I was in an unhealthy relationship,
And felt alone and isolated.
Comparatively today at 22 I’ve triumphed an amputation,
I still struggle with my health daily,
But I don’t do it alone, and that wouldn’t be so if it weren’t for the people who are part of this Young Women’s Initiative.
We all came here together for a common goal of young women’s equity,
And though the brick wall that keeps us from achieving that goal still exists,
By simply supporting each other, we’ve knocked a few bricks out.
And I know far beyond the familiarity of a room on Selby Street
We’ll move wave by wave, mountain by mountain, and brick by brick together.
By Hope Hoffman, Young Women’s Cabinet
