Young Women Leaders Award Winners
Young Women Leaders Award Winners
We are excited to celebrate the four exceptional winners of the 2025 Maryland Young Women Leaders Award! This prestigious honor recognizes their outstanding leadership, dedication to community service, and commitment to advancing women’s rights and opportunities—values at the heart of the Maryland Commission for Women’s mission.
Their efforts have made a meaningful impact, and this well-deserved recognition is a testament to their hard work and passion.
As a 2025 Maryland Young Women Leader, they will receive a citation from Governor Moore at an event at the Government House in Annapolis, as well as a $2,000 award, sponsored by the Foundation for the Maryland Commission for Women.
We are inspired by their vision and the change they are creating in their schools, communities, and beyond, and are so pleased to honor them for being a role model and champion for women’s rights!
Zulema Delacruz Martinez is an advocate for first-generation college students, with a special focus on Latinas. She also works to raise awareness about the treatment of Hispanic and Latina women in the workforce on Maryland’s eastern shore. The daughter of Guatemalan and Mexican immigrants, Zulema is a certified community interpreter and a mentor to high school students considering college. She uses communication skills to dismantle fears and myths about the college application process. Zulema served as President of the Multicultural Student Union and founded the Hispanic/Latino Student Union at Chesapeake College before earning her Associate Degree and transferring to Towson University. Zulema was nominated by Dr. LaSella L. Hall, Director of Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Chesapeake College.
Favour Gam aims to amplify Black feminist thought through literature. She also conducts policy research and works to address period poverty. In the summer of 2024, she served as a policy research intern for the African American Policy Forum (AAPF), examining menstrual health disparities affecting Black girls and gender-expansive youth. She also received a grant from the Washington Women’s Foundation Rock Star Fund to complete a book highlighting the lived experiences of young Black girls. Favour also serves as the historian for the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) University of Maryland chapter. Favour was recommended by Chika Onwuvuche, Program Officer for the Washington Area Women’s Foundation.
Kambria Kyle is an advocate for women in the military who worked to break barriers in JROTC at Northern Garrett High School. To establish female leadership as not a rarity but the norm, Kambria has committed to surpassing standards once deemed far too high for “the girls” by earning a place in leadership positions, such as JROTC Battalion Commander and Raider Captain. She is elected President of the Garrett County Association of Student Councils. Kambria is also a fierce advocate for postpartum support for women and maternal mental health services. She has been accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Kambria was recommended by MAJ (R ) Steven J. Hershfeldt, Senior Army Instructor, Northern Garrett High School.
Ta’mira Thomas draws on her compassion and resilience to advocate for young women in out-of-home (foster) care. Through her work with the Howard County Youth Advisory Board, Ta’mira advises policymakers at the local and state level about the needs of young women in out-of-home care. As President of the Board in 2022 and 2024, she led initiatives to support the houseless through hygiene bags, food supplies, and shelter resources. Passionate about women’s health, she is currently pursuing a CNA certification and plans to become an obstetrician registered nurse. Ta’mira was recommended by Toya Spicer, LMSW, a social worker and Independent Living Coordinator with the Howard County Department of Social Services.