Young Enterprising Women partnership with North East High School, February 2026

Principal and Assistant Principal of North East High School in Austin meet with Maria Hernandez (long standing community partner of LaunchPad) and Rebecca Contreras and Crystaline Lopez to discuss YEW Mentoring Forum event in October 2026.

We are excited to officially announce the launch of the first-ever Young Enterprising Women Mentoring Forum in Austin, coming this October in partnership with Young Enterprising Women, LaunchPad, and Northeast Early College High School.

Recently, we had a wonderful meeting with Principal Neal and Vice Principal Hill of Northeast Early College High School in Austin, joined by Maria Hernandez, Student Success Specialist with AISD and a long-standing community partner of LaunchPad. Moments like these remind us how powerful collaboration can be when leaders come together around the future of young women in our city.

This inaugural Austin forum will focus on women in STEM and is designed to equip, encourage, and inspire high school girls through meaningful exposure to leadership and career pathways. The event will bring together female leaders across STEM industries to invest in students through panel discussions, circle-up workshops, and other interactive mentoring experiences that help young women see what is possible for their future.

For years, it has been an honor to serve as a board member for Enterprising Women, and now, through our partnership with Young Enterprising Women and LaunchPad, bringing this work to my own backyard makes this effort even more meaningful.

This is more than just an event. It is an opportunity to create access, build confidence, and surround the next generation of young women leaders with examples of excellence, possibility, and purpose.

More information to come in the days ahead as we prepare for this exciting effort.

For more information on YEW: https://www.enterprisingwomenfoundation.org/young-enterprising-women/