WGC Welcomes the 2026-2027 Young Women’s Giving Circle Interns

​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.

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