Andrea’s Journey of Impact
When Andrea first walked into a PEARLS group as a high school student, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Like many teenagers, she was hesitant, unsure whether a “girls’ program” was really for her. What she couldn’t have known then was that PEARLS would become not only a safe space during her adolescence, but a lifelong calling rooted in community, authenticity, and care.
Andrea was first introduced to PEARLS in 2013 after transferring to Grandview High School. Encouraged by friends and drawn in by the energy and sincerity of her program coordinator, Kari Houghtaling, she decided to give it a try. What stood out immediately wasn’t just the activities or conversations, but the way adults showed up: honest, supportive, and unwilling to sugarcoat life’s realities.
“They didn’t pretend the world was perfect,” Andrea recalls. “They were real with me and that mattered.”
That authenticity planted a seed.
By 2014, while still in high school, Andrea applied to become a Teen Facilitator, a bold step that transformed her from participant to leader. She remembers walking into her interview to find a room full of adult women and feeling intimidated yet seen. She completed mock facilitation sessions, supported younger girls, and began to understand PEARLS not just as a program, but as a framework for life.
After graduating in 2015, Andrea stayed.
Over the next decade, she grew alongside the organization, serving as a Teen Facilitator, Junior Program Coordinator, Program Coordinator, Program Coordinator 2, Data Program Coordinator, Lead Data Program Coordinator, Facilitation Coach, Interim Program Manager, and Program Manager. She supported girls across Milwaukee in middle schools and high schools, often staying at the same school sites for years at a time. At Notre Dame, where she served for four years, she worked with as many as 32 girls in a single cohort where she built trust, accountability, and confidence week by week.
“Growth doesn’t happen overnight,” Andrea says. “Sometimes it takes years of showing up consistently before a girl realizes her own voice matters.”
Andrea’s approach has always been rooted in relationship. She believes deeply in meeting girls where they are, without assumptions, and walking alongside them as they learn who they are becoming.
“I don’t believe in ‘do as I do,’” she explains. “I believe in walking together.”
One of the most powerful examples of Andrea’s impact comes from a former participant who entered PEARLS as a quiet, withdrawn fifth grader. Over several years, Andrea watched her slowly step into herself, first volunteering to pass out materials, then leading activities, then speaking confidently about issues that mattered to her. By eighth grade, she was a completely different young person: expressive, curious, and unafraid to take up space.
“Those are the moments that stay with you,” Andrea reflects. “When you realize a girl now sees herself differently because someone believed in her long enough.”
Andrea’s influence extended beyond the classroom. She built deep, trust-based relationships with parents and caregivers often becoming a consistent adult presence during times of crisis, transition, or uncertainty. She believes strongly that families are partners, not props, and that storytelling must always be ethical, consensual, and rooted in respect.
“These aren’t stories to extract,” she says. “These are real lives. Real relationships. You protect that.”
In 2023, after celebrating 10 years with PEARLS, Andrea stepped away from her role, but her connection to the mission never left. In 2025, she returned to the organization as a Program Manager, bringing with her a renewed commitment to the work and a deep institutional memory shaped by lived experience.
Her hope for PEARLS’ future is simple and powerful:
“That we remain genuine. That we don’t become what the world expects, but stay true to why we exist.”
And for those considering supporting PEARLS, Andrea offers this reminder:
“This isn’t a short-term investment. You’re investing in someone’s life—someone’s future, their sense of worth, and their belief that they can become who they want to be.”
Andrea’s story is a testament to what happens when a young person is not only supported but trusted, challenged, and walked with. From PEARLS girl to Program Manager, her journey embodies the heart of the mission: when you invest in girls, they don’t just grow, they lead.
We are honored to have Andrea back with us, shaping the next generation of PEARLS girls with the same care and authenticity that continues to shape her.
With gratitude,
The PEARLS Team
