Imara Roose Inc. is a 501(c)(3) mentoring program, launched in 2011 by Halima Adenegan, Esq. at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, MD. Given her experiences as a black woman and first-generation American, Halima was inspired to return to her alma mater and create Imara Roose as a means to empower, uplift, and inspire girls in her community. Imara (ee-mah-rah) is Swahili for strong and resolute—key characteristics black and brown girls must embody to excel in a society where they will continue to face countless barriers to equitable access and opportunity simply because of their race and gender. Roose, pronounced “rose”, is a pun on the school’s name, and representative of the flower, which denotes beauty. Imara Roose Inc. is a holistic, inclusive, and transformative mentoring program that assists high school girls with actualizing and maximizing their greatness—personally, academically, and professionally—by empowering them with the knowledge, skills, and social capital necessary to break through systemic barriers to equitable access and opportunity, ultimately changing their trajectory. Visit ImaraRoose.org to learn more!