Our program, EWI, is celebrating 20 years since its inception! Founded in 2002, Empowered Women International became a support network of cultural exchange for immigrant and refugee women. In the beginning, EWI provided empowerment workshops in Northern Virginia, and as it joined LEDC in 2017, the program expanded to serve over 700 women annually throughout the DMV area.

In commemoration of EWI's origins and reflecting on how the program has changed over the years, LEDC is launching The EWI Legacy Stories Project, a 10-part series sharing the stories of the women who helped shape Empowered Women International into what it is today.  

The first interview for this project features Alexandra Boycheck, the Senior Program Manager of EWI. As a native of Romania, Alexandra first joined EWI a decade ago and has a unique experience working in almost every aspect of the program. Alexandra started her journey with EWI as a volunteer to later become an intern and a student and currently leads the EWI program at LEDC. In this episode, you will learn more about Alexandra's initial experience immigrating to the United States, her time and accomplishments with EWI, and her hopes for the program's future. "I consider myself a success story of EWI because I was young, and they took me under their wings."

With this first story in the series of The EWI Legacy Stories Project, we hope you can learn more about the program's legacy, the women who have dedicated time to the program's mission, and that you ultimately can enjoy these conversations!