Cheering From Lifeguard Stands for Summer 2026 Gen Z Girls

Aug 17

Did you catch last week's edition spotlighting 25 Gen Z girls owning Summer 2026?

Well, that was Part 1 and this week they continue to amaze. Shaking the sand off beach blankets as we cheer ourselves hoarse, Être is proud to present Part 2 of our summer series highlighting the accomplishments of game-changing girls.

Launching start-ups, publishing books, setting sports records, growing podcasts, scaling non-profits, starring in films and dropping new music - all while visiting family and making memories with friends - is just a snapshot of Summer '26.

Keep reading to meet the next 25 girls that left us awestruck in August...

(Alphabetical from K to Z; ages from 7 to 22)

“I am the Founder and Executive Director of Bay Area Medical Explorers (BAME), a student-led nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to healthcare education, mentorship, and service opportunities for underserved youth. This summer, I have been expanding BAME through new chapter growth, mentorship initiatives, research programs, community partnerships, and healthcare outreach projects to create more opportunities for students interested in medicine.” - Kavya Gangasani

“I am a young author and entrepreneur and this summer I’ve been raising awareness for Blossom Tales, a book I published to make girls feel more prepared, confident and comfortable when navigating puberty. I am hoping to get this book in front of more girls, with the goal to expand the project beyond the book.” - Khamila Rose

“I was working as a marketing intern and my internship finally ended but now my boss ended up hiring me as a creative director which is a full-time student job along with my studies! Huge win :)” - Khushi Gupta

“This summer, I'm representing New Jersey as a DECA State Officer, so I just recently attended the Emerging Leaders’ Summit in Tysons, VA! I'm also interning at a personal injury law firm, gaining hands-on legal experience while preparing for an exciting year of serving students across the state of NJ!” - Klaire Keogh

“This summer, I'm continuing to host and grow my Talk of Fame Podcast, where I interview inspiring leaders, advocates, entrepreneurs, and changemakers. I'm also working on publishing my first book, One Conversation Can Change a Life, inspired by the meaningful conversations I've had through the podcast, while continuing to share stories that uplift and empower others." - Kylie Montigney

“This summer, I participated in the Council for International Educational Exchange's study abroad program in Amsterdam, the Netherlands! My cohort and I studied Diplomacy and Government for three weeks, and took many trips to places of governance, like the International Court of Justice and the EU Parliament. It was an experience I'll cherish forever!” - Leah Lashus

“This summer I’ve been enjoying time at the beach and making special memories with my family. I also had the opportunity to star in a short film to help raise funds for families and children affected by the tragedy in Venezuela, and I’m continuing to work on new music that I’m excited to share soon.” - Mandy Corrente

“This summer has been all about stepping into bigger spaces: This year I took on the presidency of my university’s Marketing Students Association, so I along with my team we designed our next semester activities. Also, I was selected to participate on a marketing campaign for a Netflix & Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios series across Latin America (I can’t say much yet…). I also got to represent the marketing perspective at a multisectoral forum on AI in Guatemala…. and there’s definitely more coming!” - Mariandré Meighan Quezada

“While this is my busiest summer yet, it’s also been one of the most exciting! I started with serving as the City Manager of Connolly at California Girls State, where I met 435 other incredible, inspiring girls and experienced such a strong sense of sisterhood. I’ve also been grinding on my international nonprofit, Project EDSA, by training 20 new chapter leaders in 6 countries and planning exciting initiatives for the fall (so many events… stay tuned!), and I also got to spend a few sunny days in SoCal. In August, I received a commendation from the House of Representatives, got invited to speak at HERA’s Foundation’s National Youth Advocacy Summit alongside the most inspiring women leaders, speak at allcove Palo Alto, and make a public comment at my county’s Board of Supervisors meeting for the proclamation honoring International Youth Day. I’m wrapping up my summer with dance and leadership training at school!” - Michelle Ye

“This summer, I grew my 501(c)(3) non-profit Apricus Literary—an organization dedicated to uplifting and celebrating teen girl creatives across the globe—to 1,400+ creatives published, 2.8M+ girls reached, and 50+ chapters and 100+ countries worldwide, while celebrating our two-year anniversary! Additionally, I created and hosted a free and virtual five week writing workshop designed to explore their creativity and develop confidence for over 250 teen girls across 50 different countries. Teen girls reported that they felt 28% more confident with themselves and their writing after participating! It has been a summer of building, creating, and challenging myself in new ways.” - Minhkha Dang

“This summer I was thrilled to continue scaling my organization BelieveNBooks, a youth-led non-profit working to combat child illiteracy! Through book drives, digital learning libraries and girls’ empowerment, BelieveNBooks has distributed 250,000 books to 50,000 youth in need since its inception in 2021. Our goal? To scale across the world!” - Natasha Agarwal

“This summer, I've secured partnerships for my nonprofit, Girls for Books, that will be impacting over 56k students across 80 school campuses and 26 counties in the next school year; I am also designing a patch in collaboration with the Girl Scouts! I have also spent the summer finishing up my last year of three-year research program I am in, where I am studying mitochondrial proteins as therapeutic targets for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.” - Neerja Bathla

“This summer I started my new role as Guest Services Coordinator at Ralph Lauren, loved checking out new restaurants, began creating more original content and became an AMC A-Lister (so watched a ton of movies).”- Nicole Espinal

“This summer I pushed myself to new heights to make my school’s varsity cheer team. I’ve had fun hanging out with friends, going to cheer practices, and working on myself in different ways this summer!” - Nicolina Pappas

“I founded That Teen during the summer when I was 13. Today, it's grown into a global youth platform spanning 100+ locations, connecting young people with mentors, opportunities, and global platforms. I truly believe that sometimes the most beautiful thing you can do when you feel lost is create something that introduces you to the world.” - Nitya Lohiya

“I’ve spent my summer working with my organization, Paris Cares, aiming to give back in tangible ways. I partnered with King Kidz Daycare to create ‘Paris Cares Packages,’ bringing smiles and support to local families. Teaming up with the ThisLifeRocks campaign, I also helped distribute food bags to Chicago’s homeless population. I’m wrapping up my summer with a service project alongside the Giving Spark Youth Leadership group, empowering young leaders while trying to make a real difference in the city.” - Paris Williams

“This summer I have had the opportunity to participate in the one-week Business Explorer Program at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken New Jersey. In this program, I had the opportunity to connect with my peers and create our own business and present it to the program on the final day. It was an amazing experience, and I look forward to being a future business major!” - Portia Goett

“This summer, I have been expanding TeenGen Finance, a youth-led financial literacy organization dedicated to making financial education more accessible for teens. We hosted financial literacy workshops for refugee youth and are preparing to launch our first-ever International Financial Literacy Article Competition. Alongside this, I've been conducting economics research with Oxford Mentor Tacye Hong, developing a TED-Ed Talk on the economic and political importance of international institutions, and interning with finance professionals to gain firsthand industry experience while learning from incredible mentors.” - Renee Sharapov

“This summer, I focused on expanding my work in education, climate action, and youth leadership. While strengthening my knowledge and network through international programs and conferences, I continued supporting children's access to science, technology, and climate education through volunteer initiatives. I am also working to grow Coding Kids, an initiative I founded, with the goal of reaching many more students and significantly increasing its impact in the coming year.” - Saide Zülal Taşlıyol

“As a Poet Laureate, I have spent my summer performing my work across three continents (Europe, Asia, and North America), including being a keynote speaker for the Rotary International Annual Convention in Taiwan. I have also been hosting a social media intern, conducting research for my Harvard undergraduate thesis in race and technology, and producing a spoken word poetry album set to release in early 2027.” - Salome Agbaroji

“This summer was definitely one to remember! I had the incredible opportunity to play Swallow in Andrew Lloyd Webbers Whistle Down the Wind with New York Stage & Film in collaboration with Deaf West Theater, which was such a special experience. I also traveled to Las Vegas to see The Backstreet Boys in concert, spent lots of time with friends and family, and made amazing memories along the way!” - Savannah Dahan

“This summer, I interned at the New-York Historical Society and watched them live as they tore down the King George III Statue on July 9th to mark 250 years of freedom! The statue was made up of chocolates, so there was a sweet surprise after; it was the coolest thing!” - Sharika Dhar

“This summer I am focusing on growing my personal brand as a creator as well as launching my first creator brand more details on that will come out soon :).” - Tavi Gandhi

“I'm Tori, a 12-year-old pentathlete who earned a spot at the USATF Junior Olympics after learning five new events in just one season. I loved challenging myself this summer, trusting the process, and showing that hard work and perseverance can take you farther than you ever imagined. I’ve been so inspired by Chari Hawkins, and Anna Hall and of course Sydney McLaughlin Lavorrne!” - Tori Funseca

“I am heading off to pre-college next week designing games and focusing on saving our beautiful planet. Cleaning trails at local parks, cleaning beaches and really focusing on my global footprint and how tech can save and not harm the earth. Data centers area problem so really being a designer who cares about Mother Nature matters staying grounded literally connecting matters using traditional methods of healing thinking about food as medicine and monitoring my use on social media.” - Winter Hope Noel

And one bonus entry from the top of the alphabet added just in time...

“This summer, I spent two weeks in July at Yale as part of the Yale Young Global Scholars' Innovations in Science and Technology Track, attending lectures and seminars on topics like abstract math & social robotics alongside a selective global class of scholars from over 150 countries. I also got to deliver a youth intervention at the High-Level Political Forum '26 held at the UN Headquarters in New York, as a member of the Science Policy Interface's focus group from the Major Group of Children and Youth; and attended the Local Conference of Youth in the UAE in the run-up to COP31. My intervention at HLPF focused mainly on giving youth voting rights for AI policymaking and expanding funding access. In addition, I continued developing Luma, my AI solution that reduces bias in clinical diagnoses for women; alongside taking a course at a local university on advanced calculus.” – Ann Mary Joseph

I don't know about you, but every time I reread these snippets I am awed.

Wonderstruck.

And full of hope for the fall and seasons beyond as we place our faith and futures in next gen hands. Safe to say, they're off to a heady start.

Looking forward,

Illana