Amari Leigh

Amari is a passionate student with interests in history, theatre, languages, and promoting equality for girls and women globally. She has been a member of The Arts Effect All-Girl Theater Company for 8 years, most recently appearing in the national tour of Slut: The Play (a NYC Fringe Festival finalist), which addresses the impact of rape culture and the over-sexualization of girls on individuals and communities. She recently performed a piece at the United Nations for International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, which was hosted by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, multiple countries, and human rights organizations. Amari discussed blending her love of theatre and social activism in her 2015 Tedx talk, "Lend Me Your Ears: Embracing the Power of Theatre for Social Change." Amari is a recipient of the Lincoln Center Theatre's Joan and Joseph F. Cullman III's Award for Extraordinary Creativity and represented her school at the English-Speaking Union's National Shakespeare Competition, placing third in the New York Branch finals. During high school, Amari was a member of the Bias & Dispute Mediation Panel, served as co-Founder/President of Feminist Future, President of the African American Cultural Society and was a proud mentor to younger students as a French tutor and Big Sib in her school's student mentorship program. Amari is super excited to spend her Global Citizen Year in Brazil becoming immersed in a new culture and community. She is grateful for the opportunity to learn Portuguese and to experience a different part of the world. Amari's favorite quote is "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept"- Dr. Angela Davis