Addison’s story

Watch Addison’s story from the South Side of Chicago

Addison, a young Black girl with a light skin tone, films with her camera along Lake Michigan in Chicago. She is wearing a black t-shirt, hoop earrings, and her hair is curly.

Meet Addison, a student from the South Side of Chicago who receives mentorship and support from Polished Pebbles (Opens in a new tab), a Chicago-based nonprofit organization supported by the Girls Opportunity Alliance. 

Since Addison was a young girl, she knew she wanted to become a filmmaker. Addison stepped in front of the camera to tell us about her goals, and she contributed ideas behind the scenes as well.

“My love for filmmaking has always lived within me,” she shared. “I want to make feature films in Hollywood about my community because I believe film can help raise awareness about overlooked topics and cause great change.”

With the help of Polished Pebbles, Addison received foundational support and mentorship that helped her pursue her dreams.

Polished Pebbles provides programs to girls ages 7 to 17 focused on professional development and communications. Their mission is to close the  “hope gap” for Black and brown girls, and empower the next generation of girls who will go on to become leaders in their professions and mentors to other women of color.

“ When you have the right people in your corner, you can do anything. I will continue to work hard and implement the skills I've been taught by women who came before me in the film industry. And with the village I have behind me, nothing can stop me from getting there”

–Addison
Addison, a young Black girl with a light skin tone, speaks into a mic on stage at a Girls Opportunity Alliance event. She has straight hair, and is wearing a black turtleneck and hoop earrings.
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Michelle Obama is standing in a classroom hugging a child while smiling. Michelle Obama has a medium deep skin tone and has long curly braids of which half are pulled up and the other half a flowing down her back and shoulders. She is wearing a colorful headband, gold geometric earrings, multiple gold braclets, and a blue patterned shirt. The child she is hugging is facing opposite the camera. The child has closely cut dark hair and is wearing a white t-shirt.

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