October 3, 2016
Erica Lofton is a 10th grader at University School of Milwaukee and a member of the 2016 United Way Campus Engagement Cabinet. At the young age of seven, she became the CEO of her own non-profit: Girls in Action, Inc. The nonprofit promotes self-esteem, and leadership skills for girls in our community.
Q. Why did you get involved in the 2016 United Way Campus Engagement Cabinet?
As a high school student, I feel I can have a real impact on my peers and other students and can encourage them to get involved. I also wanted to learn more about United Way and become one of the people I see with the Live United t-shirts on. Whenever I see that, I know that person is doing something good for someone else…and that’s what I’m all about!
Q. What is your proudest accomplishment so far in your school career?
My high school is great but it lacks diversity. So, I asked two of my girlfriends to help me spearhead a program for Black History Month. There had not been a black history program in over 5 years at my high school so I thought that it was important. The program ended up gaining the attention of some of the staff and now we are consulting with them to build a larger diversity program.
Q. Who is your mentor and role model when it comes to community service?
My mentor is my mom. My ultimate role model is Michelle Obama because she represents all the things I believe in: girl power, leadership, good health, a sense of humor and a great mom to her daughters (which reminds me of my mom).
Q. Tell us about Girls in Action, Inc. What moved you to start this group? What is your biggest success story to date?
I started this charity when I was seven because I wanted to help other girls love themselves and realize they can be anything. At that time, I didn’t always feel that good about myself and I didn’t want other girls to feel this way. As I became older, I realized leadership also helps with self-esteem and this is important for girls so they can deal with issues such as bullying, rumors, and negative body image.
One of my recent successes came when I gave the girls an opportunity to come up with a creative idea for violence prevention. One group ended up winning national recognition from the White House. I’m proud to say, Girls in Action now has their own violence prevention campaign called #ViolencePreventionMKE. The best part was when one of the girls got to ride on a plane to the White House…she had never been on a plane before!