Officers

Julia Squitteri
Founder and Executive Director
Julia Squitteri

(she/her)

Personally inspired by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Julia created the Ruth Project on the night of Ginsburg’s passing to continue her fight for gender equity. Fueled by a determination to use legal activism to create tangible change, Julia is a researcher advocating for sex discrimination justice with her research. Currently, she is working alongside researchers from the ACLU to conduct Title IX research in addition to previous research on U.S. human trafficking legislation. Julia specializes in Title IX, dress code discrimination issues, self-advocacy training, and feminist history. She is also a student at American University in Washington, D.C.

Julie Wilson
Outreach Director
Julie Wilson

(she/her)

Julie’s passion for feminism started when she learned about the gender pay gap, and that enthusiasm has continued to motivate her since. Julie is an avid learner who never wants to stop exploring her interests: activism, feminism, climate change, and even orca whales held in captivity. Julie advocates kindness in her quest to make a positive impact in our world. She loves being an outreach director because it gives her the opportunity to do something she loves and to communicate with people in amazing ways! Julie is passionate about mentorship and assists with Project 1996 in addition to leading the Ruth Project’s outreach team.

Polina Shagin
Social Media Director
Polina Shagin

(they/them)

Polina is currently studying international relations at American University in D.C. in hopes of becoming an international human rights lawyer. Polina is dedicated to fighting for gender equality and bringing more inclusivity to the feminist movement. The daughter of refugees from the Soviet Union, she has dedicated her life to advocating for important issues such as immigration rights, expanding voter rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. Polina believes the most important part of breaking the barriers that have caused inequality is education, and hopes to continue to inform individuals through her work at The Ruth Project.

Maria Carasco
Assistant Outreach Director
Hailey Donahue
(she/her)

Hailey is the assistant outreach director at the Ruth Project. She is passionate about dress code reform in central Florida, as well as politics in general. When not working on the Ruth Project, you can usually find her working on Latin, in theatre, or writing as a part of a newsletter for school. She’s a member of her school’s Young Democrats club and is always willing to help out those in need and to fight for what is right.

Hailey is also the project manager for Project Empowerment, a new initiative focused on harnessing the power of writing to uplift young feminists.

Julie Wilson
Initiative Manager
Jamie Bouwens

(she/her)

In high school, Jamie took part in her school’s first-ever Dress Code Committee. After a few months of working with students and administrators, her school was able to approve a new and improved dress code. She thought about that committee often and how it helped her find her passion for research and change in social systems. She’s now working to support the Ruth Project as a college student at UCF and plans to continue to support it after graduation.

Jamie manages our sexual harassment and dress code reform initiatives, helping them to connect with their audiences and build strong movements for change.

Kyra Macomber
Lead Writer
Kyra Macomber
(she/her)

Kyra’s love for activism and community service started with Girl Scouts, where she has been a member since kindergarten. Kyra is incredibly grateful to be a part of an organization that’s enacting real change across the U.S. and the world. As Co-Lead Writer, she manages the writing that goes into the Ruth Project’s social media posts. In addition to community service, Kyra is also passionate about lacrosse, music, theatre, and art. Her drive to advance gender equity has made her a proud member of the Ruth Project.

Nikkita Cheriel
TikTok Director
Nikkita Cheriel (she/her)

After watching the development of an increasingly controversial political climate in the U.S., Nikkita felt driven to become more politically active. She discovered the Ruth Project Mentorship Program, applied, and soon began working as a mentee to Tik Tok Manager, Alexa Castillo. Since then, Nikkita has become the Acting Director of the Tik Tok marketing team and regularly leads content production. In the future, she hopes to continue spreading awareness about various current social and political issues with the Ruth Project.

Kyra Frazine
Graphic Design Editor
Kyra Frazine (she/her)

As an athlete, Kyra has seen firsthand the inequalities between men and women’s sports. This inequity quickly initiated her interest in feminism. Growing up, Kyra was constantly surrounded by strong and hardworking women, and hopes to advocate for these same women by majoring in Political Science. By working with the Ruth Project, Kyra hopes to draw attention and spread information about gender equality through her designs. She is also looking forward to not only educating others but herself in the process.

Maria Carasco

Instagram Assistant Manager

Annie Valadez
(she/her)

Annie is an eleventh grader and social media activist spreading awareness for bullying, mental health, equality, and much more. Between marching band and dance, she focuses on sharing kindness and puts a smile on peoples’ face. Annie joined the Ruth Project with a strong desire to promote making change in our broken social structure—surrounding world problems are her main motivations and inspirations to initiate action in Texas. As a RGV Lead Ambassador, Annie is prepared to represent and is more than thrilled to work with the Ruth Project for social media work.

Assistant Lead Writer

Emunah Garmaise
(she/her)

Emunah Garmaise (she/her) is a rising senior based in Los Angeles who advocates for mental health awareness on her Instagram account @copingandconnection. In her free time, she writes poetry, cooks vegetarian food, and spends time with her family. A huge proponent of gender equity, especially across intersectional lines, Emunah is thrilled to be the assistant lead writer at the Ruth Project!

Celina Westerberg
Nonprofit Development Assistant
Celina Westerberg

(she/her)

Celina is a passionate social justice activist who has organized climate strikes with the U.S. Youth Climate Strike and Fridays For Future. She is most passionate about feminism, climate activism, racial justice, and gun violence prevention. Having moved to the U.S. from Denmark at age five, Celina’s international perspective helps her approach social justice through a different lens. In her free time, she loves music, art, astrophysics, nature, and skating. Celina will be studying pre-law for her undergraduate degree and hopes to attend law school in New York. Some of her biggest inspirations include Greta Thunberg and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both women who have inspired her activism, both inside and outside of the Ruth Project.

Sarina Sukhraj
Nonprofit Development Assistant
Sarina Sukhraj
(she/her)

Sarina has been very passionate about women’s rights and activism since a very young age. Her motivation has been shaped by the incredibly strong women in her life. They’ve shown her that despite what society says about you, and despite the amount of money you have, being resilient and faithful will lead you through life. Sarina is especially passionate about helping others through connection-building and mentoring, and brings a kind, empathetic focus to teaching others. If you are new to the Ruth Project or thinking of joining, she thanks you for your time and hopes you’ll become a part of our wonderful team!