Maryland youth honored as Prudential Emerging Visionary

Bethesda student will receive a $5,000 award and an invitation to the 2024 summit for her work addressing the challenges of a changing world.

NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mackenzie Goldsteen, 16, of Bethesda, today was named a 2024 Prudential Emerging Visionary for her inspiring commitment to improving the lives of others.

As one of 25 Prudential Emerging Visionary winners, Mackenzie will receive a $5,000 award to help take her innovation to the next level. She is also invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential's headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where she will be coached by Prudential employees and have the chance to meet other young leaders.

Prudential Emerging Visionaries recognizes young people ages 14-18 whose fresh perspectives and innovative solutions address pressing financial and societal challenges in their communities. The program's goals align with Prudential's purpose: to make lives better by solving the financial challenges of our changing world.

"I am inspired by the students' sense of purpose and commitment to driving positive change in their communities," said Chairman and CEO Charles Lowrey. "We're honored to support these young leaders as they bring their extraordinary projects to life."

During the summit, to be held April 20-23, five winners will also have the opportunity to present their solutions in a pitch-off, where a grand prize winner will be awarded an additional $10,000 in funding. What's more, Prudential employees will again vote to name an Employees' Choice Award winner, who will receive an additional $5,000.

Maryland's 2024 Prudential Emerging Visionary:

Mackenzie Goldsteen created "Buildgirls," a nonprofit that works to empower young women in high school to pursue careers in the fields of architecture, construction and engineering (ACE), cornerstones of the economy with dramatic gender disparities. "Buildgirls" seeks to increase female representation in these sectors by providing young women with scholarships, learning opportunities and networking with accomplished women in the ACE community.

Growing up, Mackenzie noticed that her father, who worked in ACE, had materials and resources that only featured images of men. "The ACE community urgently requires an influx of female voices to inject fresh perspectives and diversity," she says. Her initiative works toward this vision, expanding career choices for young women after high school. "Buildgirls" has already put together an advisory board of industry leaders, broadening the organization's reach and impact on the community.

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is sponsored by Prudential in collaboration with Ashoka, a leading organization in the social impact sector, with advisory support provided by the Financial Health Network, an authority on financial health and a longtime partner of The Prudential Foundation.

The program is an evolution of Prudential's Spirit of Community Awards, which honored more than 150,000 outstanding youth volunteers over 26 years.

To read about all of this year's Prudential Emerging Visionaries, visit prudential.com/emergingvisionaries.

About Prudential Financial
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader and premier active global investment manager, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.

About Ashoka
Ashoka is the largest global network of leading social entrepreneurs — individuals with new ideas to systemically address the world's biggest challenges and the entrepreneurial skill to transform those ideas into national, regional and global social impact. Over 40 years, Ashoka has supported more than 3,600 social entrepreneurs in 90 countries with solutions addressing society's most pressing issues. Ashoka's vision is a world in which Everyone is a Changemaker — a society that responds quickly and effectively to challenges, and where each individual has the freedom, confidence and societal support to address any social problem. For more information, visit ashoka.org.

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SOURCE The Prudential Insurance Company of America