For our first-ever group of Changemakers, Aerie has granted 20 advocates with $20,000 each to help foster their many ideas for changing the world. They’re building libraries. They’re researching for breakthroughs in women’s health. They’re making space for girls that keep it REAL. They’re pushing humanity forward.
Meet the #AerieREAL Changemakers:
Bella
Cookies, pies and cakes — oh my! Bella Lam of Rosemount, Minnesota is on a mission to change the world through guilt-free bites from her Coconut Whisk confectionary. She plans to open a 100% vegan food cart that will service a number of people and initiatives, including her company’s vision of donating 1 million plant-based meals to children in need.
Brittany Sinitch
Brittany Sinitch of South Florida always knew that she wanted to be a teacher, but who knew that those dreams would one day lead her to therapy after surviving the devastating 2018 shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. But along her journey to healing, Brittany discovered the power in her unbreakable spirit, leading her to found The Unbreakable Organization with the goal of helping communities heal.
Candice Youngblood
Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation
With roots in Pomona and a current spell in Fresno, California, Candice Youngblood has been moved to develop Youth on Root, a state-wide youth leadership program focusing on environmental health disparities. Youth on Root seeks to be a healing space and educational resource for high schoolers in low-income communities.
Cassie & Chelsea
How do Cassie from Oxford, England and Chelsea from Golden, Colorado come together in Wichita, Kansas? Through their shared goal of advocating for those with a chronic illness to live a full, thriving lifestyle. Under their nonprofit Spoonies Unite, the duo provides resources such as podcast talks and webinars that encourage a better quality of life.
Cat Lantigua
Cat Lantigua is bringing a joyful beat to the world as the CEO and founder of Goddess Council, a social wellness platform aimed at fostering meaningful spaces for all women to connect. Hailing from Miami but based in Brooklyn, Cat has tapped into her own vulnerability to help spark meaningful likeminded friendships around the world.
Haile Thomas
Self-care should have no age limit, and Haile Thomas is introducing wellness to the youth through her initiative The HAPPY Org. Based in Hudson Valley, New York, Haile considers herself a compassion activist who is making #AerieREAL changes by nurturing humanity and fostering healing.
Jenna
Denison, Texas-bred Jenna Zapata is using her creative prowess to make change through her contemporary and fine art gallery Zig Zag. By offering scholarships, free workshops and other support initiatives, the creative director hopes that the significance of the arts will become embedded in the community.
Katie Howland
Katie Howland is making real change through her literacy organization Millie’s Bookshelf, with plans to install the first-ever school library in Sinjar Province, Iraq to serve survivors of the 2014 Yazidi genocide. A San Diego native, Katie sees challenges as opportunities to do good and bring humanity to underserved areas of the world.
Katie Long
Find neuroscientist Katie Long working away in the research lab, where she and a multifaceted team are working to make breakthroughs in women’s health. As an #AerieREAL Changemaker, the Chicago native will invest funds into the bionic breast project, a study on breast sensation and how to restore it to those who have lost it.
Katie Muckley
Get moving with physical therapist Katie Muckley and her initiative The Imagine Dance Project, which increases access to dance education through programs for youth in Haiti. Originally from Columbus, IN but based in Atlanta, Katie hopes to empower others through mobility and movement experiences.
Keely Cat-Wells
Keely Cat-Wells, a British entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, believes that telling diverse stories is the way to change society and she’s turning the spotlight on disabled artists. Keely is utilizing her grant to create several talent management jobs, in addition to launching a first-of-its-kind film and T.V. studio for people with disabilities.
Kendall Renee
Kendall Renee is forging her path through music, advocating for herself and others that have disabilities by paying homage to the community with an original song and video. The Long Beach, California singer uses her special story as a “superpower” to enact change.
Kristine Rodriguez
Feel good about getting dressed with lifestyle brand GRL Collective, the brainchild of Downey, California-based founder Kristine Rodriguez for “grls that give a f*ck.” Through her partner organization The Sambhali Trust, the CEO champions social good by giving back 20 percent of proceeds to fund girls’ education in Jodhpur, India.
Maya Caine
Maya Caine knows that real women like to shop — and she wants to make it even more fun to do so. Through the Changemakers program, the CEO will bolster the development of her digital fashion venture MIVE, a marketplace to make shopping more personalized.
Mei-Li Hey
Mei-Li Hey is working to make the world more inclusive by increasing access to safer sanitation solutions for individuals with disabilities. Through her organization Atwero, the Long Beach, California-based board president believes that taking tangible action is the way to spark positive change.
Rubini
Rubini practices her activism through social good, having literally created an app called Selfless that matches people to opportunities where they too can make change. Raised in Novi, Michigan and now based in Chicago, the CEO is a genuine practice in making change by paying it forward.
Sofiya Abena Ballin
What good is being an award-winning journalist if you aren’t sharing important stories? Sofiya Abena Ballin is showing how it’s done through her multimedia identity series Black History Untold, which explores Black history through the lens of those who have lived it. Hailing from Philadelphia, the writer and producer is fueled by one core tenet: authenticity.
Trinity Simone
It’s Trinity Simone’s “hunger and passion for freedom” that inspires her to advocate for criminal justice reform. Through her initiative The Youth Will Be All Write, the Atlanta-based activist provides thousands of composition books to incarcerated youth nationwide in order to encourage therapeutic healing and amplify the voices of those that are often underrepresented.
Valerie
Valerie of New City, NY went from being bullied at a young age to becoming the founder and CEO of her own company, The Validation Project, which she hopes will help boost confidence in middle schoolers around the world. The international organization works with 6,000 students in 105 countries, providing mentorships with college students, career field trips, social justice projects and more.
Wren Blae Zimmerman
Limits don’t leave much room for change, which is why Lexington, Kentucky-based Wren Blae Zimmerman simply doesn’t subscribe to them. In the arena, the blind equestrian show jumper is aiming to shift the perception of what disabled people can do, while outside of it she uses her platform to advocate for the regulation of Para-Equestrian Show Jumping.
In Loving Memory of Ali Neff
Ali Neff was an #AerieREAL Ambassador who, too, had dreams of changing the world. She applied for the Changemakers program with the idea of using the $20,000 grant to create a charitable T-shirt line in honor of her most recent heart donor, Eric. We hope to honor her memory by gifting this grant to her family, who will use the funds to start a foundation in remembrance of Ali, whose spirit and light has left an enduring mark on us at Aerie.
She was brave and strong in the face of a serious illness, and she wore her scars proudly — encouraging so many others to embrace what makes them REAL and even sharing such intimate moments in her book If Not Now When. Her lifelong experiences taught her to love herself and her body, allowing her to connect with and inspire other transplant patients on their journeys too as she carried on her mission of advocating for organ donation, research and charities.
Thank you, Aerie, from the bottom of my heart for the positive, self-love message you send all of us! I’ll never forget the first time I tried on something in an Aerie dressing room and saw all the sticky notes on the mirror….all saying encouraging and positive things. Then I started seeing models that were not “perfect “, like me. I’m older but my excitement for the young girls and women made my heart smile. These new “role” models are sure to be a success, but you might remind us just how special they are…I forget how they are changing our world for the better. Good job, Aerie! This older lady will continue to be an “Aerie Girl” too!❤️
So incredible to see a company like aerie make financial committments to helping women succeed! Truly placing their money where there mouth is, this is the perfect companion to the REAL marketing and product options and I am even more motivated to shop here. Thank you!!
# Inspire Me …I've lived as a child that was bullied,mentally,physically,sexually& verbal abused.I love you guys stories and thoughts.I mentor kids that in trust in me.And I always help the unfortunate with school clothes,clothes,shoes.And school supplies.So that they may become happy and hold as a individual.Most of all define who they are.I've had stoke and been down the last 2 years while suffering from major depression&PTSD.My dream is to design a t-shirt that will cheer up the mentally challenged or should I say a wondering mind.Learning how to love me…….Sincerly Miy'aka Brooks