Guiding Girls Toward Success

In the bustling heart of Los Angeles, where dreams often collide with harsh realities, Step Up has been reshaping futures since 1998. Founded by Kaye Popofsky Kramer, a Hollywood talent agent who rallied her network of young professionals, the organization began as a conduit for women’s causes. “They had access to the most powerful Rolodexes,” recalls Jamie Kogan, Step Up’s vice president of development. “But they felt like there was something missing where people could use their connections or leverage their connections for good.” By 2006, Step Up evolved into direct service, focusing on mentorship to bridge gaps for teen girls and young women.

Today, under CEO Delores Druilhet Morton, Step Up operates in eight cities, including Los Angeles, serving about 3,000 participants annually through free programs that foster confidence, connections, and career readiness. Targeting girls from marginalized communities – often first-generation college students or those from under-resourced schools – the nonprofit’s wide-ranging programs innovatively pair them with multiple mentors with diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and career paths. 

“We know that one conversation can change a life,” explains Druilhet Morton.

For high schoolers, the curriculum unfolds in 12-week afterschool cohorts each semester at 32 partner schools nationwide. “We also take the students off campus,” Druilhet Morton says, “so they might visit one of our corporate partners and they can see, well, I’m interested in working in entertainment, but here are all of the different careers in television that I could choose.”

Post-high school, up to age 29, options further expand: career coaching for targeted tracks like early career pivots, Power Talks to close the confidence gap, and a mentoring app for “flash mentoring” – quick, on-demand sessions. In 2024, 1,109 mentors volunteered. As Kogan notes, “Our programming really is designed for all students to meet them wherever they are and all paths are valid.”

Impact resonates in stories like Jaden’s, a young adult facing remote work isolation and contract instability, who connected via the app to Druilhet Morton. “I helped her to reframe her résumé into a skills-based résumé,” Druilhet Morton recounts. Within weeks, Jaden secured a full-time role.

In Los Angeles, where 80 percent of Step Up teens are Latina and challenges like immigration actions, wildfires, and mental health crises loom large, programs adapt nimbly. 

Looking ahead, Step Up envisions leveraging technology to reach rural areas and sustain participants from high school through careers – and back as mentors. With 97 percent of teens graduating on time and upward trends in confidence (78 percent growth), connections (79 percent), and career readiness (75 percent), Step Up isn’t just opening doors; it’s forging pathways for equity, one conversation at a time.