Veronica Aguilar, a Scottsdale native and first-generation college student, began her mission to address educational access 15 years ago and is now the national vice president, recruitment at Teach For America. Aguilar is a champion of female empowerment as the founder of Young & Empowered Women, a nonprofit that works to bridge the wage gap. She is a 2025 Flinn-Brown Fellow, chair of the City of Scottsdale’s Human Relations Commission, co-host of Social Television Network (STN), and was recognized as a Believe in Women honoree from the Phoenix Mercury.
Aguilar holds a business degree and an MBA from ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business, where she was the Spring 2025 Inaugural Convocation speaker.
Socials: Instagram: @young_and_empowered, LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aguilar1490
You wear many hats—vice president of recruitment at Teach For America, nonprofit founder, board chair, TV co-host. What motivates you to stay so deeply involved in your community?
What keeps me involved is a deep belief that leadership is service. Whether at Teach For America, through founding a nonprofit, serving as a board chair, or co-hosting, the common thread is impact and creating opportunities, and amplifying voices that might otherwise go unheard.
I care deeply about access and inclusion, and no matter what hat I am wearing, I strive to empower and inspire others to be their best selves. I am motivated every day by the stories and the people I support, their resilience, their brilliance, and their potential. That is what keeps me showing up.
As vice president of recruitment at Teach For America, what excites you most about identifying and developing the next generation of leaders?
As vice president of recruitment at Teach For America, what excites me most is identifying and developing leaders who are deeply committed to educational access. I get to meet individuals at the very beginning of their leadership journey and help open a door that can shape the trajectory of their impact.
What continues to inspire me most are the leaders I have already met who went through the program that I recruited. Their stories and leadership fuel my excitement every day. I have had the privilege to recruit and know Teach For America alumni who are now doctors, lawyers, founders of their own schools, and educators making a daily impact in their classrooms and communities. Seeing their success gives me hope for the greater impact we can make together at a systems level to expand educational access and opportunity.
You founded Young & Empowered Women to help close the gender gap. What moment or experience inspired you to launch the organization?
Founding Young & Empowered Women was deeply personal. I have experienced moments of doubt and uncertainty and have been told I was too young to succeed. I have also seen the looks of confusion when I stepped into rooms with certain titles as a woman. Those experiences helped me recognize a need for women to come together and empower each other during difficult circumstances and to close the gender gap, so women have equal opportunities in the workforce.
While pursuing my MBA at the W.P. Carey School of Business during the COVID 19 pandemic, we were challenged to identify a problem to solve. At the time, early evidence showed women’s employment falling disproportionately, which many called a “she-cession.” Women I mentored were reaching out, wanting a space to come together and support one another. In a business planning course, I built the foundation for the organization by creating the board of directors and bylaws, and Young & Empowered Women achieved official nonprofit status in June 2021.
Today, we have a network of over 250-plus and many of our members are women of color and first-generation college students seeking mentorship and growth. It is powerful to watch women lift each other as we build a more equitable future together.
You’ve received numerous honors—from Phoenix Mercury’s “Believe in Women” recognition to 40 Under 40 and the ATHENA Young Professional Award. What do these acknowledgments mean to you personally?
Receiving honors such as the Phoenix Mercury Believe in Women recognition, 40 Under 40, and the ATHENA Young Professional Award is incredibly meaningful to me because they represent more than personal achievement. They reflect a community that sees and values leadership in the service and nonprofit sector, and that chooses to celebrate women who are doing this work every day. That recognition makes me feel deeply seen.
I have been told that I would not be successful because I am too emotional or too much of an empath. For a long time, I questioned whether those parts of me needed to shrink in order to lead. These awards affirm the opposite. They remind me that authenticity, empathy, and heart are not liabilities, they are leadership strengths.
I also hope that others in this industry who lead with compassion and who show up as their full, authentic selves feel inspired to continue leading in their own way. My hope is that these acknowledgments send a message that you do not have to change who you are to make an impact. You can be yourself and still lead powerfully.
You served as ASU W.P. Carey’s Spring 2025 Inaugural Convocation speaker. What message did you most want graduates to carry with them?
Serving as the Spring 2025 Inaugural Convocation speaker for the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University was an incredible honor. The core message I wanted graduates to carry with them was simple but powerful: statistics do not define you, you do. I reminded my fellow Sun Devils that no matter the doubt, the data, or the limits placed in front of you, statistics cannot stop a Sun Devil. We all have the power to defy the odds.
What made the day even more special was running into one of the graduates who had been my fourth-grade student when I was a Teach For America corps member at ASU Preparatory Academy. Seeing my former student graduate from the business school and Barrett, The Honors College, and standing there as their keynote speaker, was a beautiful full circle moment. It was a powerful reminder that when we believe in students and in ourselves, we truly can defy the odds.
For young professionals who want to get more involved but aren’t sure where to start, what’s your advice?
My advice is to start by finding networks that align with your values and the kind of leader you want to become. Look into your local chambers, professional associations, or community organizations and get involved. For me, being active in Valley Young Professionals at the Greater Phoenix Chamber, where I previously served as chair, has been transformative. I have also grown tremendously through programs like the Flinn Brown Fellowship, which strengthened me as a civic leader.
Try new things. Meet new people. Go to that networking event even after a long day at work. Put yourself in rooms that challenge and inspire you. And most importantly, build your personal board of directors, mentors, and champions who will guide you, advocate for you, and help you grow. Community does not just happen, you have to step into it.
Favorite motto, if you have one?
One of my favorite mottos is, “She believed she could, so she did.”
For me, it is a reminder that belief is powerful. There have been moments of doubt, moments when others questioned whether I was ready or capable. That phrase grounds me and pushes me to be my best self. It reminds me that confidence is not about having all the answers, it is about trusting your purpose, your preparation, and your resilience. When you believe you can, you take the first step and that step can change everything.
Favorite book?
One of my favorite books is The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins.
I love the simple but powerful framework of “let them” and “let me.” It has been transformative in both my personal and professional life. “Let them” reminds me that I cannot control others’ opinions, actions, or doubts, and that I do not need to carry that weight. “Let me” shifts the focus back to what I can control, my response, my growth, and my leadership.
That mindset feels deeply empowering. It helps me lead with clarity and confidence, stay grounded in who I am, and focus my energy on what truly matters.
When you’re not working, we’d find you …
When I’m not working, you can probably still find me building community, just in a different way. I might be at a networking event, at a fun happy hour with my girlfriends, getting in a workout at Orangetheory Fitness or a Pilates class, or cheering loud at a Phoenix Suns game.
And my favorite place to be is with my parents and my cavapoo puppy, Penny. Those moments keep me grounded, energized, and ready to keep showing up fully in every space I’m part of.
One thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
One thing people might be surprised to learn about me is that even though I am a huge extrovert, one of my favorite things to do is simply chill and watch a good movie. I am a total movie buff. Whether it is an action film, a drama, or a classic, I can completely nerd out over storylines, character arcs, and cinematography.
As much as I love being out in the community, I equally value a cozy night in with a great film, a glass of red wine, and some popcorn.
