I’m still in awe after spending the weekend with the New American Leaders. Thanks to New American Leaders, I know I’m capable. I am ready to lead. It was truly a breath of fresh air to be in a room full of changemakers who look like me, dream like me, and fight like me. This is what democracy looks like.
- Judith N. Mills (NAL Ready to Lead Northeast)
Earlier in March, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the National Women’s Training: Ready to Lead in Atlanta, hosted by New American Leaders. A lot of what the training covers, like writing stump speeches, grassroots fundraising, and messaging, are skills I’ve practiced before. But refreshing those tools is always valuable, and the best part of the experience wasn’t just the curriculum. The highlight for me was connecting with so many badass women leaders from across the country. Their stories, their passion, and their drive to create change were truly inspiring. Being in a room filled with immigrant women who are ready to lead and represent their communities reminded me why this work matters so deeply. At its core, Ready to Lead isn’t just about preparing New Americans to run for office or step into civic leadership, it’s about embracing our heritage and using it as a powerful asset. I’m proud to be part of this network of changemakers and grateful for the tools and inspiration this training provided. To anyone considering stepping into civic leadership: your voice matters, your story matters, and there’s a community here to support you every step of the way.
- Cecilia González Herrera (NAL Ready to Lead National Women’s Training)
Thank you to New American Leaders for hosting their Ready to Lead-Northeast training in NYC over the weekend. This training gives the unique opportunity for young professionals from across the country to discover the strength in their values and learn to prepare to run for office or leadership. 48 young professionals joined from across the country with 21 of them coming from the Central Valley - the home of the farmworker labor movement. This program elevated me to continue my dreams for public service and my drive on making an impact in my community.
- Ignasio Castillo (NAL Ready to Lead Northeast)
Most recently, I attended a full-day legislative shadow day at the Georgia Capitol. It was an honor to meet and learn from leaders like Representative Rowan Roman, Representative Segun Adeyina and Senator Jason Esteves during the day. Shoutout to New American Leaders; through this experience, I gained two invaluable takeaways: Access and Exposure - two things that change everything. As I continue to grow personally and professionally, I’m focused on expanding access, creating pathways, and stepping fully into my next season of leadership.
- Adebukola Bukie Faforiji (NAL Ready to Lead alum and Atlanta Shadow Day participant)
Thank you to New American Leaders for hosting such an informative and transformative conference in Atlanta. I felt inspired and grateful enough to be surrounded by such empowered women and state leaders. From campaign management to stump speeches, I enjoyed every second of it. Thank you for providing the tools needed to become a successful state leader or elected official. I hope to see all of you run for office sometime soon. “Women need to be told at least 6x more than men to run for office until they do so.” Special shout out to Basilisa Alonso and Anne Flomenhaft and my fellow Poderosas.
- Paola Cervantes (RTL National Women's Training 2025)
This month, I was privileged in attending New American Leaders Ready to Lead training in Aurora, Colorado where I learned skills necessary for a diverse and inclusive democracy. We heard from many regional leaders and elected officials from the area and had the opportunity to put our leadership to the test! As a social worker by trade, it’s been a fun and amazing journey to see the immigrant community stand together in solidarity to fight for our freedoms, liberties, and our humanity. Being in a room of like-minded colleagues - and friends - for the span of three days, I left the Ready to Lead conference feeling more courageous and prepared for what comes next. If anyone is interested in this training, I highly recommend it. Thank you to the New American Leaders team for the opportunity to learn.
- Tony Mai (RTL Southwest 2025)
Last weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to attend a New American Leaders Women’s Training in Atlanta, Georgia! This experience was so inspiring as I was surrounded by so many passionate, driven women who are ready to take the world by storm. Meeting Munira Abdullahi (Ohio State Rep, District 9), Julie Gonzales (Colorado State Senator, District 34), and Sarah Beeson (Roswell City Council, Georgia) was truly an honor. Hearing their stories and learning their journeys in politics reminded me why representation and leadership matter so much. I walk away from this weekend feeling so motivated. I am inspired to work hard and create real change, just like so many of these incredible women are doing every day.
Aliya Merchant (RTL National Women's Training 2025)
This past weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the New American Leaders training, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the experience. A huge thank you to the staff, organizers, panelists, and fellow attendees who made this training such a powerful and transformative experience. Throughout the training, I gained invaluable skills in crafting a powerful stump speech and community building. But beyond the skills, the most powerful part of this experience was listening to my fellow participants’ incredible stories - their struggles, resilience, and unwavering drive to keep democracy alive. Their dedication to making an impact in their communities was truly inspiring, and I’m honored to be part of this movement alongside them. Thank you again to everyone who made this experience possible! Let’s keep pushing forward.
- Alberto Reyes (RTL Southwest 2025)
It was an absolute joy and honor to spend three days with New American Leaders. I thank God for being able to connect with leaders from across the United States who are preparing to run for office. From connecting with dynamic leaders, learning from current elected officials, and refining my stump speech…culminating with me sharing my stump speech on the final day was truly a transformative experience. To my fellow New American Leaders cohort, I look forward to supporting your races and I look forward to seeing a more inclusive democracy in America. Thank you again New American Leaders! Something very special is happening in America! - Monica McCoy (NAL Ready to Lead Atlanta ‘25)
Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Ready to Lead training in Georgia with New American Leaders, and what an experience! As an immigrant who came to the U.S. from Peru at 15, leaving behind my family and everything I knew, the journey hasn’t always been easy. I’ve faced challenges, but those experiences shaped my resilience and my passion for serving my community. This training reaffirmed something I deeply believe: our immigrant stories are powerful assets in civic leadership. Ready to Lead taught me how to embrace my heritage while building the skills needed to lead. But beyond the tools and strategies, the most inspiring part was connecting with other New American leaders from across the country. We shared our stories, our hopes, and our commitment to making a difference. Hearing their journeys reminded me that we are not alone in this fight and together, we are building a future where our voices and experiences shape the decisions that impact our communities. I’m leaving this training feeling more empowered than ever and ready to take the next steps in my journey. Thank you, New American Leaders, for creating this space and for investing in leaders like us! - Lisbeth Arescurenaga (RTL National Women's Training 2025)
When entering the NAL training, I could not explain the level of safety I felt in knowing I can learn these skills with women who looked like me. Many times I’ve done trainings like this where I’m the only person of color in the space. I’m grateful to not only learn these skills, but to now have some amazing people I can rely on when I’m ready to run. This was an incredible experience. Special shoutout to Lorenzita for encouraging and inviting me.
- Caitlin Gatchalian (2024 RTL AAPI Women)
I feel energized and motivated to pursue public service with clarity, purpose, and a pride in my heritage. My identity as the daughter of immigrants is a powerful and unique asset to my framework as an ideal candidate.
- Shivani Parikh (RTL AAPI Women 2024)
Ready to lead training was such a transformative experience that welcomed and encouraged me to think more critically about my future involvement with campaigns and running for office. I appreciated this opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals from all across the country and dive into how to jumpstart a campaign.
- De’Liza Galimidi (RTL AAPI Women 2024)
NAL’s Ready to Lead training not only taught me how to run an effective campaign, but made me feel more confident in my American story as a daughter of Iraqi immigrants. I am leaving the training interacting with the world from a place of abundance, with a fire lit inside me to fight for a more inclusive democracy.
Stephanie Yaldo-Sheena (Ready to Lead MW 2023)
During this important election year of 2024, it is a gift to work with New American Leaders on the distinctive mission it addresses. The voices of immigrants and refugees who become active in civic engagement by aspiring to roles in elected office, government effectiveness and/or the nonprofit sector find invaluable professional development support through NAL's programs. There are so many ways to become involved and the diversity of experiences these people bring give us all a more just and informed society in which to live.
Lea Ann Skogsberg
Bonterra Coach
Dollars and Sense for Nonprofit Success
Being in Ready to Lead: AAPI Women has been one of the most empowering experiences I’ve had. The public service space can often feel isolating for women of color like me, and being in a room full of intelligent AAPI women leaders made me feel uplifted and supported. Lorenzita, Tram, and Varnish absolutely killed it. I’m excited to use the tools I’ve learned here in my future endeavors.”
- Claire Ting (RTL AAPI Women 2024)
Happy to join New American Leaders Ready To Lead® training program in Chicago, Illinois! It was wonderful to meet and hear inspiring stories from these amazing elected officials and trainers Darrin Camilleri, State Senator from Michigan and Varisha Khan, City Council member from Washington. The training is for 3 days and I had a great experience on day one. Thank you to the organizers for this opportunity. It was great meeting the host of the training Ghida Dagher, CEO and President, New American Leaders, Dilara Sayeed, President, Muslim Civic Coalition and other leaders from across the country!
- Ashfaq Hussain Syed, Participant (RTL Midwest ‘24)
Truly grateful to Jose and the incredible NAL team for all your hard work in planning an AMAZING weekend training for us! I go back home with so many lessons learned, incredibly inspired, and more confident than ever in running for office. I’m truly grateful for everything you guys have done for me and for us this weekend. The best is yet to come.
- Michelle Meza (RTW Northeast ’24)
Thank you, NAL, for affirming my values of family, resilience, compassion, fearlessness, and community. When authentic women lead, America wins for generations. Your training helped me process and embrace my family’s historic life conditions with tenderness. As a daughter of Vietnamese refugees, I felt healing in my heart to hear the lived experiences of change-making daughters. Our stories are full of nuance that data points can barely capture. These women of different shores are living their American Dream. Thank you for bringing us together, building power, and creating a place for us to grow relationships. Shout out to the sisters in Nevada lifting each other up. So much Las Vegas Pride. I felt your energy and carried some home with me to California. Proud to stand with my Southeast Asian sisters.
- Chau Nguyen (RTL AAPI Women ’24)
Participating in Ready To Lead has strengthened my political skills through training and reinforcement of my personal values. After completing the training, I feel more confident to serve in leadership positions on campaigns and run for office when the time is right.
- Karim Kadouh (RTL MW 2023)