Mona (she/her)

Mona is a high school junior from Southern California and a graduate of Plan International USA’s 2023 Youth Leadership Academy. 

As part of the Academy, she founded the Digital Online Safety and Empowerment Initiative, a youth-led nonprofit that raises awareness about technology-facilitated gender-based violence. 

Working with Plan, Mona presented recommendations for President Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence at a White House listening session hosted by the National Security Council and Gender Policy Council. She also spoke at USAID’s 2024 Protecting Children and Youth from Digital Harm Symposium. 

Her advocacy earned national recognition when First Lady Jill Biden honored her as an inaugural Girls Leading Change Awardee on International Day of the Girl 2023. 

Quote: “I’m truly excited to collaborate with other passionate youth in the fight against gender inequality. My time at the Youth Leadership Academy was empowering, and I’m eager to take the next step in my advocacy as a member of the Youth Advisory Board.”