Marie Paredez

Marie Paredez brings over a decade of combined experience in mentoring girls and facilitating women empowerment initiatives. For eight years she has mentored girls from elementary school through high school, leading social-emotional activities and empowerment sessions in school settings or community rooms. She draws from her own experiences to connect with participants, often turning initially reluctant girls into engaged helpers who later request additional sessions. In parallel, she has spent five years on women empowerment work, serving as executive director on the board and director of philanthropy for a friend's organization where she organizes monthly Women in Harmony events. She created the Lemonade Experience, a recurring event where women share how they turned personal challenges into positive outcomes; the most recent gathering on August 2 drew fifty attendees for a panel discussion. Her path into this work began with a desire to help people, leading her to volunteer at a United Way food pantry where simple encouragement proved impactful, and she holds a GED, an associate degree in human services earned with high honors, a bachelor's degree from the University of Bridgeport, and a master's in criminal justice from Albertus Magnus College with a focus on juvenile justice. She is a member of the Lily Ennis Group and attributes her drive to her goal of being the best mother she can be while emphasizing ethical practice and seeing the good in others.