Community Highlights: Meet Sharalle Ankrah of Mirror Me

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Sharalle Ankrah.

Hi Sharalle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story is rooted in the unveiling of identity. Growing up, I struggled to fit into molds crafted by media, peers, and society at large. I didn’t grow up with many friends or matriculate in large circles. I was shamefully different which had adverse impacts on my self esteem.

My mom would remind me that education and standing out from the crowd is paramount. She lead me through a series of, what she called, “mirror exercises” to ignite flames of confidence and tenacity. Little did I know that those lessons of confidence would lead to such a bigger movement.

I founded Mirror Me, Inc as an assignment to assure identity and inspire destiny in girls globally. We do this through education, empowerment, and mentoring. Mirror Me, Inc follows a group mentoring model that is proven by MDHHS (and other various studies) to eradicate adverse childhood experiences by creating environments of commonality, positive voice, and role models.

It also improves school attendance, personal confidence, and community involvement. Mirror Me, Inc. facilitates a curriculum called Crowned at various schools and organizations to help facilitate personal growth and SEL development by helping girls:

– Understand who they already are
– Debunk myths associated with their identity
-Develop personal mission statements
– Develop project curated for their community
-Create positive environments by conducting “mirror exercises” (affirmations) crafted by both them and the community of sisters being mentored with Mirror Me.

The idea of identity development does not end with “mirror exercises” or affirmations. Identity development is completely comprised of who God says that you are.

I get to introduce girls to who they have been from the beginning, watch their confidence grow, develop personal mission statements, and crush stigmas by leaving their imprint on their community.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has been filled with ups and downs; however, consistency is paramount. Mirror Me, Inc has been doing the work in our communities since 2016 and we are finally making headway and gaining support of community members.

The idea is to remember why you started and who you are impacting. We do this for the future generation–to build a world where girls value who they are and the impact they make!

We’ve been impressed with Mirror Me, Inc, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Mirror Me Inc. assures identity and inspires destiny in girls globally. We are currently impacting lives in Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Muskegon (Michigan).

As well as Ghana and West Africa. We specialize in taking young girls from where they are to where they want to be. We are PROUD to say that 100 percent of our girls leave our program with the ability to successfully and confidently recite their mission statement, have post-secondary goals, and are inspired to pursue their dreams no matter the cost.

One of our greatest success stories is of a student who went through our program, interned with us during college, and is now a member of our Board of Directors. It’s a continuum of confidence-building as life grows with you!

Mirror Me Inc. is ecstatic to welcome programming for the 24-25 school year. We offer our Crowned Curriculum (Group Mentoring) to schools and organizations for free as a partnership with the community. We run Summer Camps in partnership with the Grand Rapids Museum and Scouts of America.

Annually, we host a Mother-Daughter Brunch in the Spring called You Are Enough. This year, registration numbers have reached upwards of 300 families! We will never grow tired of completing our assignment to ensure identity and inspiring destiny in girls globally.

We would love to partner with your school or organization. Please send us an email at [email protected], check us out on social media @mirrormeorg, or get in touch with us on the web at www.mirrormeinc.org.

What are your plans for the future?
I am so excited for everything the future holds. I look forward to creating relationships with partners in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Atlanta, and Ghana while maintaining current relationships.

This Summer in Ghana, we will be conducting Crowned facilitation while raising funds for a local orphanage, Potters Village.

We, along with the community, will supply Potters Village’s girls and boys with personal needs items. Mirror Me, Inc. has partnered with Glorious Praying Wives Ministry, Three Jubilee, Growth Center Inc., and Grace For the Nations Church for this initiative. Please check our social media (or email us at [email protected]) to see how you can partner with us in this endeavor.

We are looking towards expansion! You all will have to keep an eye out on our social media to hear more about the Expansion Project!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mirrormeinc.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrormeorg/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirrormeorg/

Image Credits
You Are Enough (2024)