WFM Invests $45,000 in Innovative Young Leaders
The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota (WFM) announced direct investment in its eighth cohort of Innovators – 15 young women and gender-expansive people whose leadership, ideas, and solutions advance key recommendations in the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota (YWI MN) Blueprint for Action. Each Innovator was awarded a $3,000 grant, representing a total investment of $45,000.
“Innovators are central to the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s vision of a state where all people can thrive. That’s why we invest in their ideas and help scale their leadership, so they can grow their projects for greatest impact,” said Roxane Battle, vice president of communications & strategic initiatives.
Each Innovator will receive direct support on their grant-funded projects, personalized development, and networking to deepen their leadership for the long term. Saint Paul-based Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI) and FLOREO will facilitate Innovator convenings and help them develop their business model, build community advisory networks, and grow their projects into successful, tested prototypes.
Since the inception of the Innovators program, the Women’s Foundation has made 148 grants totaling to $422,000 to 128 young women and gender-expansive youth, ages 16 to 24. Two Innovators in this cohort are participating for a second year to continue developing their projects for social change.
Launched in 2016, the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota is a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment and public-private partnership with the Governor’s Office of the State of Minnesota to achieve equity in opportunities with and for young women of color, American Indian young women, young women from Greater Minnesota, LGBTQ+ youth, and young women with disabilities. Since 2016, the Women’s Foundation has made $4 million in grants through the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota.
Meet the Innovators
Rashaunea Ambers-Winston
Minneapolis
Project focus: Promote Young Women’s Leadership
A first-generation college graduate, Rashaunea earned her bachelor’s in sociology from the University of St. Thomas. She is a poet and community leader dedicated to advancing social justice, promoting racial equity, and quality of education. Her poetry is featured in Lake Street Speaks, a social justice book showcasing art from the George Floyd Uprising, and she has performed at schools and community events to spark dialogue and inspire change. Rashaunea is also the founder of Cheer for Success, a program that empowers young Black girls to achieve their educational and personal goals through cheerleading, creative writing, cultural discussions, and empowerment activities.
Kailez Campbell
Blaine
Project focus: Promote Young Women’s Leadership – Reframe Harmful Narratives & Develop Young Women Leaders
Kailez Campbell is an honors student and Community Engagement Scholar at the University of Minnesota, graduating with a major in philosophy with an emphasis in metaphysics and a minor in ensemble music. As a political and community organizer, she has worked on campaigns from the local to the national level and currently serves as chair of the National Native American Caucus for College Democrats of America and as national executive vice chair of the Environmental Caucus for Young Democrats of America. Her project through this program confronts inequities within music education. She believes all students deserve to see themselves reflected in the music they play. America gave birth to blues, jazz, gospel, R&B, hip hop, and Indigenous song, yet in schools they are treated as electives rather than a core part of music education, which continues to define its standards through Western techniques. She is committed to decolonizing music education and ensuring that the repertoire of Black and Native communities is centered, because American music deserves to be taught through the voices that created it.
Dana Chiueh
Minneapolis
Project focus: Promote Young Women’s Leadership – Ensure Community Spaces & Conversations
Dana Chiueh is a Pushcart-nominated writer and organizer living in Minneapolis. She was a Levinthal Scholar at Stanford University, where she directed the Spoken Word Collective and organized the Asian American Feminist/Queer Reading Series. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Review, Sine Theta, and the New York Poetry Festival. She is the recipient of support from the Community of Writers, Brown Institute for Media Innovation, and the New York Summer Writers Institute
Emi Gacaj
Minneapolis
Project focus: Improve Safety & Well-being – Increase Access to Health Care
Full-spectrum birth doula, sex educator, and women’s health advocate, Emi combines preclinical research experience and thousands of real conversations about physical, mental, and emotional well-being to drive systems change. She is the co-founder of Manglovo Health, a biotech startup developing a once-weekly, hormone-free contraceptive pill. Her work positions contraception, among other forms of reproductive care, as key drivers of longevity and health span, envisioning them as some of the most effective levers for broader advancements in public and population health.
Princess Gataud
Minneapolis
Project focus: Build Pathways to Economic Opportunity – Enhance Career Pathways
Princess graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a major in political science and a minor in global studies. She strongly believes in the importance of diversity and equity and has sought roles within the government and legal field to enhance her understanding of the legislative process. As an aspiring lawyer, her project, The Tenth House Network, with Ino Ndlovu, aims to connect professionals with Black youth interested in law and policy. With the goal of providing lasting connections and resources that will help decrease the disparities Black youth face towards success. Her partners, Ino Ndlovu, Presilyn Hanson, and Sahra Jilaow, share in her vision of uplifting the next generation of lawyers and policymakers.
Naomi Gbor
Minneapolis
Project focus: Improve Safety & Well-being – Increase Access to Health Care, Increase Mental Health Support
Naomi Gbor is an imaginative, multipotentialite who believes holistic health and access to creative experiences is the foundational basis of overall well-being. She’s especially interested in creating a wellness-based space for Black women that exists outside of societal pressures, so that their health and intrinsic value as unique individuals isn’t forgotten in the process of pursuing their own idea of success. This is a core pillar of her project, Dear Anxious Black Girl, and her personal philosophy. She attends the University of Minnesota where she is pursuing a B.S in developmental psychology and neuroscience with plans of becoming a licensed mental health professional in the future.
Asia Hagos
Newport
Project focus: Promote Young Women’s Leadership – Develop Young Women Leaders
Asia Hagos is soon to graduate with a Master of Health Administration from Louisiana State University Shreveport. As the leader of Deki Eri, she is passionate about showcasing the beauty of Eritrea and the diaspora while fostering connection and pride within the community. Through her academic and professional journey, Asia has built skills in healthcare leadership, organizational management, and community engagement. She is dedicated to uplifting underrepresented voices and looks forward to advancing equity and opportunity through her work as an Innovator.
Lucero Idrovo-Cuesta
Columbia Heights
Project focus: Promote Young Women’s Leadership – Reframe Harmful Narratives, Develop Young Women Leaders, Ensure Community Spaces & Conversations
Lucero is a pre-nursing student at St. Paul College and a licensed esthetician. She is passionate about supporting new estheticians, as well as those seeking to strengthen their skills and knowledge. To further this mission, Lucero is developing an educational e-book that offers step-by-step guidance and resources for professional growth. Through her small business, she offers affordable services while empowering and educating each client. She strives to help others start new journeys, grow their skills, and find confidence in themselves.
Amina Nor
Mankato
Project focus: Promote Young Women’s Leadership – Develop Young Women Leaders
Amina Nor is a 17-year-old high school senior and full time PSEO student at Minnesota State University. She was a former member of the Mankato Young Women’s Cabinet, where she was able to connect with other young women to spark change in Minnesota. She has a passion for business, with dreams of earning an MBA and starting a modest clothing brand for Muslim women who struggle to find clothes that work for them.
Bukunmi Ola
Rosemount
Project focus: Promote Young Women’s Leadership – Reframe Harmful Narratives, Ensure Community Spaces & Conversations
Bukunmi is a mechanical engineering student at the University of St. Thomas with a strong passion for education, renewable energy, and cultural representation. Driven by a commitment to sustainable solutions, she strives to use her leadership, interpersonal, and engineering skills to build a better future. Beyond the classroom, Bukunmi volunteers at a local elementary school and works as a tutor. Her current project, centered on challenging harmful stereotypes, aims to uplift and empower the Black immigrant community.
Jenna Orcutt
Blaine
Project focus: Promote Young Women’s Leadership – Develop Young Women Leaders
Jenna is a senior at Centennial High School. Last year, she started a club for women at her school, and Centennial and Lino Lakes Unit 566 selected her to be a member of the 2025 Minnesota Girls State Session. Along with her passion for leadership and feminism, she enjoys athletics as a varsity tennis captain and competitive cheerleader. Jenna’s project is aimed to bring young girls and the LGBTQ+ community together to enjoy the beauty of art and bracelet making, and the importance of learning leadership skills.
Madeleine Paulosky
St. Paul
Project focus: Build Pathways to Economic Opportunity – Enhance Career Pathways
A senior at St Catherine University, Madeleine is pursuing a B.S. in biology and a minor in longevity and aging. She is president of the Biology Club and founder of the Longevity and Aging Research Club. After spending the past two summers doing cardiovascular aging research at Mayo Clinic focused on molecular biology and biochemistry, she gained a passion for getting women into geroscience. Madelene plans on using her Innovator grant to further establish the Longevity and Aging Research Club, supporting underrepresented women in STEM to pursue aging research opportunities. This includes teaching presentation skills, assistance with applying for undergraduate research programs, and outreach programs with the older adults at the nearby retirement community.
Val Steeprock
Bemidji
Project focus: Improve Safety & Well-being
Valahlena Steeprock (she/they) is a mother, photographer, activist, and paraeducator and media director at Voyageurs Expeditionary School. She is deeply committed to justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) and uses her work to uplift Indigenous youth and families. As a community organizer with MMIW218 and a paraeducator, she challenges the systems that continue to fail Native communities. A former Young Women’s Cabinet member, Valahlena now continues her leadership as a 2025 Innovator. Her project honors her cousin, Nevaeh Kingbird, advancing the MMIR movement through art, advocacy, and grassroots action to ensure Indigenous voices are valued, defended, and never erased.
Sierra Verdin
Austin
Project focus: Promote Young Women’s Leadership – Reframe Harmful Narratives, Develop Young Women Leaders, Ensure Community Spaces & Conversations
As a young nonprofit professional and returning Innovator, Sierra is passionate about the power of storytelling to change harmful narratives. She has completed several photographic oral histories around cultural identity, belonging, mental health, and the lived impacts of COVID-19. Her project, Talk Story, will provide impact storytelling services for minority-owned small businesses and minority-led nonprofits.
Cindy Xiong
Champlin
Project focus: Promote Young Women’s Leadership – Develop Young Women Leaders, Ensure Community Spaces & Conversations
Cindy is a junior at the University of Minnesota serving as the external vice president for VIIVNCAUS – Hmong Women’s Group, a student-led organization that provides resources, support, and community to the multicultural community on campus with a focus on Hmong women college students. As a woman of color in STEM, Cindy is dedicated to using her experience in IT and cybersecurity to contribute to the technology industry, in addition to advocating for underrepresented communities. Her project will focus on providing resources to strengthen leadership and professional development skills to Hmong women through the services of VIIVNCAUS – Hmong Women’s Group.
