On Wednesday, CNN aired We Will Rise, a documentary about First Lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to promote girls’ education worldwide. As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who worked on girls’ education efforts, I was struck by how familiar the stories were. The young women in the documentary are hard-working and intelligent, but they must overcome difficult odds and incredible social pressure to pursue their education.

When asked how they had the strength to keep striving toward their goals, many of the girls in the documentary pointed to community members: a father who works two jobs so his daughter can study, teachers who advocate for their students, a female leader who proves women have what it takes, or a tech program that believes in a girl when others do not. When people take the time advocate for a girl, she will rise to the occasion.

At Blue Compass, LLC we are hard at work identifying ways to empower girls and their advocates. Whether we are studying One Stop Centers and interviewing social workers in Tanzania or advising foreign policy officials in Washington on gender integration, we committed to creating a world that lets girls learn.