Senior Noel Demetrio lived out her dream last week after being selected by First Lady Jill Biden to advocate for girls’ rights worldwide during an event at the White House. 

Ten girls were selected by the White House Gender Policy Council in honor of International Day of the Girl on Oct. 11. The event, “Girls Leading Change,” was held for the honorees to be “celebrated” by Jill Biden. 

The young women were recognized for “leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities across the United States.” Each with individual stories and projects, they stood out in their respective communities as young girls who are committed to promoting change. 

Demetrio is the founder of Project Xenia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping immigrant and refugee children rediscover the joy of childhood. Xenia, an ancient Greek practice, embodies “hospitality and kindness to strangers.” The project currently funds scholarships for 40 Ukrainian refugees. 

Demetrio serves as one of only 12 Greek Orthodox Girls Delegates to the United Nations. She says she is inspired by her ancestors and the individuals she has encountered who have made significant impacts in their communities. This prompted her do the same, with community being “at the heart of change” for Project Xenia. 

Demetrio’s passion to support refugees and displaced children stemmed from her time spent homeschooled in Greece as a 10-year-old. During that time, she witnessed the European refugee crisis. 

“Everyone we met during that time was fleeing war and poverty. It made me think of my grandmother who fled Greece because of war and poverty,” she said. “It’s important that children who had to flee their homes feel welcomed and that their childhoods are restored as much as possible.”

After receiving a nomination from Niki Devaris-Morgulis, the leader of the Greek Orthodox Girl Delegates to the United Nations, in August, Demetrio participated in several rounds of interviews with the women in the Gender Policy Council for the ceremony. 

Demetrio found out she was selected as an honoree just a few weeks before the event – news she was not expecting given that 700 girls had applied. Upon arriving in Washington, D.C., she met the other honorees for the first time and was inspired by their stories.

The event also hosted the 2023 honorees, who offered advice and shared their stories to this year’s honorees. The ceremony consisted of opening and closing remarks from both First Lady Jill Biden and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, along with the girls introducing one another and their projects. 

The audience was not only filled with family and friends, but also many middle school girls. The purpose was to “inspire the younger girls in the audience,” which Demetrio said was “great to encourage them to take action about the issues they are passionate about.”

“It was really cute, they all wanted to take pictures with us afterward,” she said.

President Joe Biden also attended the ceremony, where he listened to the girls speak and congratulated them all afterwards. 

The Mayor of Lake Forest Stanford Tack was also at the ceremony to support Demetrio’s accomplishments. He said that the recognition by the First Lady “speaks for itself.”

“The White House is an incredibly impressive and beautiful place that all Americans should be very proud of. The fact that national leaders care about the youth of our country enough to recognize them in the same setting that Medal of Honor recipients are honored says a lot about our country and the humanity of our leaders,” Mayor Tack said. 

Tack hopes that this recognition will encourage other young women to pursue public service opportunities at a high level. 

Outside of the ceremony, Demetrio spent time bowling in the Harry S. Truman bowling alley, walking through a women’s art museum, creating “Girls Leading Change” book art, and having lunch at the Navy Mess with the Head of the Gender Policy Council at the White House. 

Media training was also necessary to ensure that she was prepared for the interviews following the event. 

Although this honor was a once in a lifetime opportunity, Demetrio isn’t done spreading awareness to refugees and hopes to continue changing perspectives people have moving forward.

“I know firsthand these children are fleeing war and poverty, and I hope to change the narrative by helping to create a movement where all children, especially ones displaced from their homes, feel welcomed and supported.”

Demetrio continues to dedicate her time and energy to supporting refugees and raising awareness on important topics, but she also encourages others to take action and make a change. The most meaningful changes can be made through simple day-to-day practices. 

“I would say some universal advice to anyone who wants to make a change in their community is that everyone can offer their friendship and be kind to others. I think that’s something really easy to do for people to get involved,” she said. 

This story was originally published on The Forest Scout on October 21, 2024.