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Student Ambassador Solangel Almonte '27 cares deeply about women’s health. A sociomedical sciences major with a minor in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies, she intends to dedicate her career to empowering women to make knowledgeable choices about their futures.

Almonte has started with young women in her native Dominican Republic. Last summer, as Geneseo's Eddie Lee '76 First-Generation Student Ambassador, she spent a month partnering with The DREAM Project in Cabarete, DR, conducting educational workshops about sexual and reproductive health. DREAM is a nonprofit organization that provides educational opportunities for children, youth, and families throughout the DR.

"Here in the US, many juniors and seniors in high school are thinking about, 'What are my next steps? What am I going to do?' That is not the path for many young women in the Dominican Republic," says Almonte. "It’s a privilege for me to earn a high school and college diploma. I wanted to provide tools that will help young women put themselves as a priority now, so they have more opportunities later."

Between 2022 and 2023, more than 1.3 million Dominican girls ages 10 to 19 left school due to various challenges, including pregnancy, according to the Dominican Today online news publication. The Pan American Health Organization reports that the Dominican Republic has the highest rate of adolescent pregnancy in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Several members of Almonte's own family, including her mother, were forced, she says, to leave high school to be a mother. Almonte is the first in her family to attend college.

"It’s what inspired me to do the EmpowerHer project," says Almonte, who moved to Manhattan from the Dominican Republic when she was 8 years old. "I wanted to share the importance of finishing their education and make them aware that they can get a diploma, that there are jobs, and they can even go to college."

Almonte researched health data and best practices, then worked with DREAM staff to revise presentations and create interactive workshops for participants aged 11 to 23.

"I had to ensure the workshops would appeal to and be understood by a wide range of ages," says Almonte. "And while Spanish is my first language, I don't know all the health terminology. They helped me with translation and interpreting questions and answers."

Each participant took home an EmpowerHer tote bag filled with educational handouts and hygiene products donated by the nonprofit organization PERIOD., that provides advocacy, education, and menstrual products for young women. Almonte conducted written and in-person interviews to evaluate what participants learned and if they felt the workshops were valuable.

"I hope they gained knowledge, tools, and confidence," says Almonte. "The ambassadorship was definitely a stepping stone to what I want to do in my career overall.

Learn more about Geneseo Student Ambassadorships.