D’aria Couther was the first in her family to go to college. Currently, the East Baltimore resident is a junior at Bennett College, an HBCU (historically Black college or university), and plans to become a teacher when she graduates in 2025.
But Couther says she could not have achieved this goal—and have been recognized by the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity as one of their 86 HBCU scholars—alone.
From sixth through 12th grades, Couther attended the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women (BLSYW), a girls’ college preparatory charter school with a focus on helping growing girls develop leadership skills. According to the school’s website, BLSYW was the city’s first-ever all-girls middle and high school when it first opened its doors in 2009. “I was raised in a family of all boys—I was the only girl,” Couther recalls. “I wanted to have the experience of having a sister.”
Couther attended public school when she was in elementary school, but BLSYW differed from that more generalized education because of its focus on preparing girls for college and helping them get into the universities of their choice.
In the past seven years, 100% of its students have been accepted to colleges and more than 80% of BLSYW alumni are the first in their families to attend college, as much of its student body is made up of students from low-income areas, according to BLSYW.
The school was first founded by Brenda Brown Rever, founder of CHANA, an abuse hotline and help network largely focused on Jewish women in the Baltimore area. In the years since its founding, CHANA has expanded to focus on child, elder and financial abuse as well. Rever also served as a founding board member of the Jewish Women’s Archive, an educational resource celebrating Jewish women in history.
Because of her experience advocating for women, Rever founded BLSYW in hopes of reaching young women in need, fostering their leadership skills and interest in the arts and STEM and preparing them for college.
College preparedness and acceptance is a major goal for BLSYW’s staff and students, and something that Couther says influenced her deeply during her time as a student there.
“I was in ninth grade when the first graduating class graduated from BLSYW. They had this really big event, Signing Day, and I’d never seen anything like it,” she says. “They had admissions officers from each of the colleges students got accepted to there to cheer them on as they picked which college to go to. I left with something to look forward to when I got to 12th grade, which helped me stay focused.”
When Couther first started attending BLSYW, she wanted to become an OBGYN or a mortician when she grew up. But her teachers and her work at the YouthWorks summer camp, which helps young people find summer jobs, led her to change her course to teaching.
She notes that BLSYW’s teachers have a very empathetic approach to engaging with their students, which stood out to her.
“If I didn’t look like I was having a good day, they would always be like, ‘Hey, are you good? Are you OK?’” Couther adds. “Seeing the love they had for us made me want to give back to the same students who are going into Baltimore City Public Schools, because that’s where I plan to work after graduation.”
Couther cites BLSYW with not just her current career path, but with preparing her for college and fostering her leadership skills. In addition to being selected as part of the HBCU cohort, she is also giving back to women as a member of the Baltimore Chapter of Continental Societies, a nonprofit serving Baltimore County focused on issues that affect underserved women and children. There she volunteers to teach young children about subjects like reading, nutrition and proper hygiene.
“When I spend my extra time volunteering at schools or on my campus, I have it in my mind that ‘OK, I’m a leader. What skills can I give to the people around me to prepare them to be leaders?’” she explains. “It’s not just about math, reading or science. We are here to prepare you for leadership, and to prepare you for the real world. In a classroom, I feel like there are many opportunities for you to be a leader other than just doing your work, and you can step up to help people. I am carrying on [BLSYW’s] mission of transforming Baltimore one woman at a time.”
