WFM Invests in 15 Innovative Young Leaders

The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota (WFM) announced direct investment in its ninth 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. FLOREO Labs facilitates Innovator convenings and helps them develop their business models and grow their projects into successful, tested prototypes.  

Since the inception of the Innovators program, the Women’s Foundation has made 163 grants totaling to $467,000 to 140 young women and gender-expansive youth, ages 16 to 24. Three 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 more than $4 million in grants through the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota.  

Meet the Innovators

Mariam Abdulkareem

Champlin 

Project focus: Build Gender and Community-Oriented Financial Literacy and Life Skills   

Mariam is a University of Minnesota graduate with degrees in finance, corporate law, and supply chain management. As a first-generation Iraqi American woman and the first in her family to earn a college degree, Mariam is passionate about closing the financial literacy gap for immigrant and first-generation women. She is the founder of Her Rise, a financial education initiative that coaches first-generation Arab women on investing, debt management, and building wealth. Through workshops, one-on-one coaching, and digital content, Mariam is building the roadmap she never had so no woman has to figure it out alone. 

Rebeka Alemayehu

Minneapolis 

Project focus: Enhance Career Pathways 

Rebeka is a recent University of Minnesota sociology graduate from northwest Minnesota with a passion for public policy, particularly surrounding rural advocacy. She wants to use her experience in local and federal government to create more opportunities for young people in Greater Minnesota to succeed in the public policy sector. Her project, the Rural Civic Fellowship, aims to increase career pathways for young rural Minnesotans who want to solve problems, conduct research, and be more connected to issues and important topics in their communities. 

Jennifer Compton

Duluth

Project focus: Increase Mental Health Support, Ensure Community Spaces and Conversations 
 
Jennifer is deeply dedicated to community healing, holistic wellness, and empowering individuals through transformative and supportive programming. She leads North Star Healing Circle, an initiative focused on creating restorative spaces and fostering deep personal growth, mutual understanding, and authentic connection. Through her work, Jennifer aims to inspire long-term resilience, nurture emotional well-being, and build stronger, more inclusive community bonds across diverse groups. Driven by a passion for health equity, wellness advocacy, and accessible support systems, she is committed to creating welcoming environments where individuals feel truly valued, heard, and fully empowered to flourish.   

Kara Cowell

St. Paul

Project focus: Ensure Community Spaces and Conversations
 
Kara is a public health advocate and community organizer passionate about menstrual equity, reproductive justice, health education, and creating systems that support health, autonomy, and well-being. She recently completed her Master of Public Health in maternal and child health at the University of Minnesota. Kara co-led the Minnesota Menstrual Products in Schools Toolkit project and is now developing the Menstrual Equity Advocacy and Resource Network to create sustainable collaboration and improve resource accessibility for advocates, educators, healthcare providers, and policymakers. Through this work, she is building sustainable infrastructure for collaboration, shared learning, and lasting systems change in menstrual health. 

Elisabeth Gnakadja 

Minneapolis

Project focus: Build Gender and Community-Oriented Financial Literacy and Life Skills
 
Elisabeth is a courageous sophomore at the University of Minnesota, dedicated to innovation, collaboration, and meaningful growth. She leads with humility and purpose, driven by a mission to ease the lives of women in her community and across the world. Her work focuses on creating accessible literary tools that help women understand the financial systems shaping their daily realities. By focusing on the unique challenges faced by women in the Twin Cities and beyond, Elisabeth strives to empower them with knowledge, confidence, and long-term stability, ensuring they have the resources to build stronger futures. 

Jenika Howard

Minneapolis

Project focus: Ensure Community Spaces and Conversations, Develop Young Women Leaders 
 
Jenika recently graduated from Minneapolis College with an associate’s degree in liberal arts and a certificate of American Indian Studies. She will continue her education at the University of Minnesota where she hopes to major in Environmental Justice and minor in American Indian Studies. She is an Indigenous representation in higher education and hopes to pave a road in showing other Indigenous students that we belong in higher education and can succeed despite not seeing enough representation of their own culture, language, and traditions. Her passions are supporting her community, uplifting her culture and people, and being an advocate for the land and its entire ecosystems. 

Melody Khang

Ramsey

Project focus: Increase Access to Women’s Health Care, Increase Mental Health Support, Ensure Community Spaces and Conversations 
 
Melody recently graduated with her bachelor’s in public health and a minor in business from Hamline University. She is dedicated to promoting and advocating for health and access to health for youth and young women. Through her work, she aims to create spaces where health is talked about openly — at home and beyond — helping people see that healthy habits can start small and be practiced anywhere, anytime. She is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of young leaders and building a more welcoming, comfortable community. 

Mue Hsae Klue

St. Paul

Project focus: Enhance Career Pathways 
 
Mue Hsae is a computer engineering student at Normandale College, dedicated to innovating a better world through STEAM. Mue Hsae has done youth-led work in several Twin Cities nonprofit organizations including youth outreach and projects with Saint Paul emergency communication center. Mue Hsae aims to introduce STEAM and its career opportunities to youth in her community. 

Kryzma Moore

Minneapolis

Project focus: Reframe Harmful Narratives, Develop Young Women Leaders, Ensure Community Spaces and Conversations, Increase Mental Health Support  
 
Kryzma is a sociology graduate from the University of St. Thomas who is passionate about empowering girls and women. She is focused on helping young women build confidence and recognize their worth beyond society’s unrealistic beauty standards. Through workshops, support groups, and community partnerships, she hopes to create safe, supportive spaces where girls and young women can openly discuss body image, strengthen their self-esteem, and encourage one another. Kryzma is dedicated to helping the next generation embrace confidence, self-acceptance, and their authentic selves. 

Blessing Murray

Minneapolis

Project focus: Increase Mental Health Support, Ensure Community Spaces and Conversations 
 
Blessing is a creative entrepreneur, storyteller, and community builder who is passionate about beauty, sisterhood, connection, culture, and self-expression. Through her work, she creates spaces that encourage women and girls to embrace their individuality and build meaningful relationships. Her Innovators’ program projects, Imperfected Beauty of Sisterhood and the Minnesota Connection Project, explore the power of community, storytelling, and cultural connection while highlighting the experiences of women and communities across Minnesota. Blessing is also passionate about reading, creativity, and using her voice to inspire others to celebrate who they are and create meaningful change in their communities.   

Amina Nor

Mankato

Project focus: Ensure Community Spaces and Conversations 
 
Amina is a student at Minnesota State University pursuing a degree in Business Management. She is passionate about empowering women and underrepresented communities through financial literacy and entrepreneurship. Through the Innovator’s program, Amina is developing a modest fashion platform to help women find clothing that aligns with their values and everyday lifestyles. She hopes to use entrepreneurship as a tool to create greater access, representation, and opportunity for women while inspiring others to pursue their own ideas and ambitions. 

Fikayomi Obanubi

Blaine

Project focus: Enhance Career Pathways, Ensure Community Spaces and Conversations, Develop Young Women Leaders
 
Fikayomi is a junior at the University of St. Thomas currently studying international business and marketing. In addition to being a dedicated student, she is also the owner of her own baking business, Àjọyọ̀ bakery. Àjọyọ̀, which means joyful gathering and celebration in Yoruba, is not just a bakery, but a representation of the core values that Fikayomi holds. She is dedicated to highlighting joy as a form of resistance and bringing people together to celebrate the very essence of life. She is dedicated to using her creativity and passion to bring people together in community and share the joy that is within her. 

Bukunmi Ola

Rosemount

Project focus: Reframe Harmful Narratives, Develop Young Women Leaders, Ensure Community Spaces and Conversations   
 
Bukunmi is a senior at the University of St. Thomas studying mechanical engineering. She is passionate about education, community engagement, and inspiring the next generation to pursue STEM. As a woman in STEM, she is dedicated to empowering young students to dream boldly and believe in their potential, just as she was inspired to do when she was younger. Through her involvement with after-school programs and elementary schools, she hopes to make a lasting impact on students and encourage them to pursue opportunities they may not have imagined. Through her project, Inspiring the Future Initiative, she hopes to expand this impact and reach even more young minds.