From glossy magazines, Santasia Boone cut images of love and cooking, which are two of the things she wants to continue in her future.

The 18-year-old Summit Academy Toledo senior was creating a vision board Thursday as part of an empowerment program for female students.

“I’m really excited to put my ideas on one little thing [vision board],” she said. “I like art. I see a lot of baking stuff, and I do bake so I’m going to put that on my board along with things with positivity like love and family. I value stuff like that.”

Ms. Boone holds a 3.8 GPA and serves as the school’s valedictorian for the class of 2023. With a goal of becoming a vascular sonographer, she is enrolled at Owens Community College but also plans to further her education after working in the field.

“I want to go deeper into it after I get my first degree,” Ms. Boone said. “I want to [work in] cardiovascular and heart too.”

She was among the 20 female eighth-through-12th grade students taking part in the school’s first “I am enough” empowerment program, which in addition to the vision board activity also featured a motivational speaker and healthy brunch.

Jesika Jacobs enjoyed the chance to engage with her fellow students in a different way. The 18-year-old junior said that it can be challenging to go to a school composed mainly of boys.

“This is nice, it's a good opportunity to interact outside of the classroom and also have fun and feel empowered,” she said.

Given that March is Women’s History Month, Summit Academy Toledo principal Marquita Murphy wanted to take the opportunity to coordinate an event focused on messages and activities that promote self-worth for female students.

“It’s very important to speak life and positivity to them,” Ms. Murphy said. “There’s just so much going on in the world and a lot of my young girls don’t have traditional families. I want them to know when they come to Summit Academy Toledo that they are loved, and they are loved just the way they are. They don’t have to put up an image or a facade. They can just be themselves as uniquely as they are.”

Approximately 120 students are attending Summit Academy on Collingwood Boulevard in central Toledo. The school is aimed at helping alternative learners, where approximately 60 percent of the students are on the autism spectrum or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Motivational speaker and Toledo resident LaToya Williams encouraged the students to value the impact of their visionary board as it represents their goals and can serve as a reminder to stay on track.

Ms. Williams showed the Summit Academy students the vision boards that she created to help her focus on better health and lose 140 pounds while continuing to maintain a healthy lifestyle. She also encouraged students to keep a journal, write their thoughts, and remain focused on positive people and positive words.

“The image you set in your mind will stick with you for decades,” Ms. Williams said. “Create a vision, a visual reminder of what you can do and what you will do. This is a reflective reminder of the goals that you set for yourself. Treat your vision like a newborn baby.”

Ms. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master's in adult education from the University of Toledo. She previously worked as a teacher and continues to help students through motivational programs. She is also an entrepreneur with several small business interests and is a self-published author with a third book scheduled for release next month.

“When you create your board, think about who you are, who you are trying to become, and what road you are going to take to get there,” she said.

Instructional aide Gina Fielding said that the program is especially important now when women are often “muted” and need to be encouraged to find their voice.

“Especially women of color, it’s important for us to reinforce that they are capable and strong and powerful,” Ms. Fielding said. “I like to remind them that femininity is powerful and that’s why I put the word ‘warrior’ on the positive message board. Because we are women, we are beautiful, and we are warriors.”

First Published March 23, 2023, 5:46 p.m.