Press Release: Cleveland Institute of Art Student Selected As Delegate For First Ever #WeVoteNext Summit

Cleveland, OH - Award-winning young entrepreneur and author, Gabrielle Jordan, will attend the first ever #WeVoteNext Summit presented by “Grown-ish” start Yara Shahidi. The summit, hosted by Shahidi’s non-profit Eighteen x 18, will be held on September 29 at the TOMS headquarters in Los Angeles, California. 

Eighteen x 18 is working to build a diverse, knowledgeable and motivated contingent of young voters. “We are calling our generation together before the midterm elections, so we can make sure that we have the tools and knowledge necessary to generate the largest youth voter turnout in history!” said Shahidi. Consisting of hands-on workshops, interactive panels, and guest speakers, the summit will be a powerful experience for participants who will be representing every state in the country as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

A freshman and jewelry major at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Gabrielle Jordan of Bowie, Maryland received the personal invitation from Shahidi to attend as one of over one hundred delegates from every state in the country. “It’s an incredible honor to be selected as a representative,” said Jordan. “I’m excited to take part in an opportunity where I can be an example of the intelligent, well informed, change makers that make up my generation." As a TEDx and inspirational speaker, Jordan uses her platform to motivate others to embrace their uniqueness. She hopes to use the tools and resources that she will receive at the summit to empower her peers to get out and vote in November.

Gabrielle has made national headlines and news features for her inspiring journey as a youth entrepreneur, bestselling author, international speaker, and mentor. At age 9, Gabrielle’s passion for jewelry design led her to launch her company, Jewelz of Jordan. By 11, she published the Amazon #1 bestseller, The Making of A Young Entrepreneur: The Kid’s Guide To Developing The Mindset For Success, which has sold nearly 10,000 copies. Gabrielle went on to co-found the ExCEL Youth Mentoring Institute where she mentors and provides resources for other youth leaders and entrepreneurs. The TEDx speaker has directly impacted thousands as she travels to speak at conferences and events both nationally and internationally.

Eighteen x 18 is an initiative founded by Tara Shahidi to educate and engage the next generation of voters in the U.S. through the power of creative storytelling.