Edina (Edie) Young, CGSP, CPM, CFDR

I attribute my success to the mentors, educators, colleagues, and supporters who have guided and encouraged me throughout my journey. I am especially grateful to Miss Maria for inspiring my artistic growth and helping me find my voice. I also thank my former teachers Katherine Dorsey and Denise Hodge for their continued encouragement. My current directors Alyssa Pendon, Kai, Erin, Lilly, Fadila, and Leana have played an important role in my development and leadership. My mother has also been a strong influence through her work leading a nonprofit and the Greenbelt Museum, where she has shared valuable insight and experience. In addition, the support of the Hack Foundation has been instrumental. Together, their support has helped grow We Are Artistic from a small initiative in my bedroom into an international volunteer organization.

In terms of babysitting, I consider my success to be to Lana, my neighbor who was my first client and gave me a chance when I was first starting and didn’t have any references. Without her, I wouldn’t have clients that span the whole DMV area!

The best career advice I have received is to stay grounded in your purpose while remaining open to learning from the people around you. Throughout my journey, I have been shaped by a strong network of mentors, educators, family members, and colleagues who have encouraged my growth and leadership. My art teacher, Ms. Maria, helped me discover my creative voice and build confidence as an artist, while former teachers Katherine Dorsey and Denise Hodge consistently supported and believed in my potential. Within We Are Artistic, my directors and leadership team have shown me the value of collaboration and shared vision in building a strong international community. My mother has also been a key influence, offering insight from her experience leading a nonprofit museum and teaching me important lessons about leadership and community engagement. In addition, the support of the Hack Foundation has reinforced the importance of structure, resources, and mentorship in sustaining meaningful impact. Together, these experiences have taught me that growth comes from both guidance and the willingness to keep learning.

My advice to young women entering this field is to lead with purpose and do your research before building anything from scratch. Check whether a national nonprofit already exists, and consider starting a chapter if possible. If you are creating something new, use support systems like the Hack Foundation for fiscal sponsorship, banking, and operational tools to save time and resources. Use platforms like Idealist, local volunteer networks, and TAProot to help with recruitment and professional support once you are established. Most importantly, stay true to your mission, avoid starting an organization just for credentials, and focus on genuine impact while ensuring your leadership voice remains central. When have volunteers sign up, I would suggest making volunteers check with their parents, confirm they’re making a commitment, and make sure they’ve reviewed their schedule. Skipping these steps often leads to miscommunication and no‑shows, which will impact your organization and lead to frustration. Then you will start to feel like you are failing.

For babysitting, I’d recommend taking Red Cross babysitting basics course and their CPR course, as well as getting on sites such as Bambino, Urban Sitter, and various Facebook groups for your neighborhood. Instead of recreating the wheel with flyer creation, just buy one from Etsy.

The biggest challenges in my field have centered around learning how to grow as a leader while building systems that can sustain collaboration. One of my earliest challenges was learning to trust others with responsibility after starting the organization on my own, and realizing that growth requires empowering volunteers rather than doing everything independently. I also faced setbacks, including losing access to our primary Instagram account during my sophomore year, which pushed me to adapt quickly and use outreach and media engagement as an opportunity to increase visibility and support. Managing volunteers has also been an ongoing learning experience, particularly around improving accountability and commitment. In addition, I have seen challenges in volunteer culture, where some students participate only to meet requirements rather than engage meaningfully with the mission. Despite these obstacles, each experience has strengthened my leadership, resilience, and ability to build a more intentional and impactful organization.

I would say my values are kindness and understanding, because in the nonprofit world, I think it is super important to assume best intent in the most charitable way possible. That means when someone is doing something, I'm not going to assume that they have bad intent. I'm going to assume that maybe they misunderstood or have a different work style. Giving people a chance is one of my values, because I've given a lot of people amazing chances, and they've ended up being great directors or really great volunteers. I believe in creating spaces where people of all abilities can come together through shared leadership, creative expression, and celebrating identities. These values guide everything I do with We Are Artistic and in my personal life.