South Queens, NY–Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-South Queens)announced that she is partnering with the Rockaway Leaders Alliance (RLA), a collection of public school leaders on the Rockaway Peninsula, to launch an essay contest inspired by the Barbie’s ‘She Should Run’ Campaign Team set of dolls. This set presents Barbie with new career opportunities as a candidate, campaign manager, fundraiser, and voter. The essay contest asks students to submit 300-500 words answering the question, “If you had political power to change a law or create a new one, what law would it be and why?” The contest, open to 4^th and 5^th Graders at participating public schools, will run through December 18^th. The winners of the contest will receive one set of the She Should Run Barbie Campaign Team, donated to the contest by Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato.

“I was so excited when I saw this set! Finally, these toys recognize that our young girls aspire to break through barriers and become future leaders,” Pheffer Amato said. “This groundbreaking collection by Barbie and She Should Run presented a perfect opportunity to work with the Rockaway Leaders Alliance to engage our students in a meaningful way. We’re asking them what they think and letting them know that their voices matter - you never know, maybe my next new bill will come from one of these essays!”

"I am so excited to participate in the She Should Run Essay Contest," Phoebe Robinson, Principal of PS 253Q and Founder of the Rockaway Leaders Alliance said. "This is an exciting opportunity for our students to not only see what diverse representation looks like in a political campaign, but to research, learn about an issue important to them, formulate an opinion and have their voices heard. I want to thank Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato for making this opportunity available, and I look forward to seeing some of the submissions!"

According to the Barbie website, “Barbie has teamed up with She Should Run to encourage girls to use their voices to advocate for what matters to them while equipping them with tools to help them get involved and effect change.”