​We are excited to welcome the 2026-2027 Young Women’s Giving Circle interns!

Tonight, the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County kicked off a new year of the YWGC, bringing together 15 of our 16 interns, representing 11 Howard County high schools, and three mentors who will help guide the group throughout the year.

The YWGC is chaired by Paula Seabright, WGC Grants Committee Co-Chair and a member of the Philanos Board of Directors. Joining Paula as mentors this year are WGC Advisory Board members Mary Jordan and Jessica Moreno, and Antoinette Brown and Farah Iapichino.

“We are thrilled to welcome this year’s YWGC interns and to see young women from 11 Howard County high schools come together around philanthropy,” said Seabright. “Over the next nine months, they’ll have opportunities to learn, lead, advocate, make grants, and support women and girls in our community. Mary, Antoinette, and I are excited to work alongside them and see where they take us this year.”

Over the next nine months, these young women will learn about philanthropy, leadership, grantmaking, advocacy, and issues impacting women and girls in our community, while gaining hands-on experience putting what they learn into action.

Building on the work of previous YWGC cohorts, the interns will participate in WGC’s Break the Cycle: Period Poverty efforts, engage in WGC and community activities, and experience collective grantmaking firsthand through the YWGC Mini Give, where they will help determine a $5,000 grant to a local nonprofit partner.

The YWGC is about more than learning how philanthropy works. It gives young women an opportunity to see themselves as philanthropists and leaders now. They have a voice, make real decisions, advocate for issues they care about, and see what can happen when women pool their time, talent, and resources to support their community.

YWGC participants have helped advance WGC’s menstrual equity work through education, community engagement, product drives, and legislative advocacy, while also making meaningful grantmaking decisions through the Mini Give. This year’s interns will build on that work while bringing their own ideas, interests, and perspectives to the program.

We can’t wait to see what our 2026-2027 YWGC interns learn, lead, and accomplish together this year!

Learn more about the Young Women’s Giving Circle and how you can support the program.

The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County is proud to spotlight the women who are leading our work this year - who are deepening our impact, and championing the power of collective giving in our community.

We asked WGC Chair Candace Dodson-Reed three questions about what inspires her, what she hopes to accomplish, and how she sees women’s philanthropy shaping our future. Her answers reflect the values at the core of the WGC: generosity, collaboration, and the belief that when women come together, we make lasting change.

1. What inspires you most about the Women’s Giving Circle and the work we do in the community?

What inspires me most is the women (and girl) philanthropists. There is something really powerful about women and girls coming together, pooling our resources, shaping our advocacy, and deciding that we can make a difference. I love that the Women’s Giving Circle gives us the opportunity to support people and organizations doing meaningful work in our community, and that we do it together.  

2. As you embrace your leadership role, what are your priorities for the year ahead?
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My biggest priority is building on the incredible foundation that already exists. I want to strengthen our membership, create more opportunities for women to connect and engage, and be thoughtful about where we can have the greatest impact. I also want us to have some fun along the way. We really leaned into the advocacy piece over the past couple of years and I think there are some more opportunities there. 

3. How do you see women’s collective philanthropy making a difference right now - and what excites you about where we’re headed next?

​I think we have always understood the power of relationships and community, and that collective philanthropy allows us to turn that into action. When we come together, our individual contributions become something much bigger. What excites me is the opportunity to continue growing that impact and to bring more women and girls into this work.