Our mentoring of girls of color is also something I'm extremely proud of. We are continuing to work with girls of color from, Jump Start Girls! Adelante Niñas!, an after-school program consisting of Latinas, African American, Asian American and girls of color who are immigrants. We will begin mentoring girls from the Washington Middle School for Girls in Southeast, D.C. and work with the Commission on Women in Alexandria, Virginia to work with girls of color in schools there.

There are so many people I would like to thank for donating their time, services and resources to SisterMentors, and I extend thanks to our Donors and Supporters on behalf of all of us here at SisterMentors and EduSeed™. I'd also like to thank Sogbe Konaté for her gracious and generous help with getting us quality pictures for this website.

This is the first of a monthly message I'll write, so please return to our website often for something new. My goal with this monthly message is to connect to aspiring and current graduate students, particularly women of color doctoral candidates in the U.S. and abroad. I'll write about the challenges doctoral candidates face and share some of the solutions we have come up with here at SisterMentors.

My aim is to uplift and inspire, and help cut through the alienation and isolation that so often cause many women of color to drop out of their graduate programs. From time to time I'll also invite others to submit their words of wisdom, including SisterMentors' graduates and current doctoral candidates. My hope is that we can help you in your journey toward the doctorate.

Again, welcome.

Shireen K. Lewis, J.D., Ph.D.