Paulina Herrera Prado is a whole vibe, and not just because she’s super trendy or fan girls about being a ‘Belieber,’ but because she’s Girls Inc. of Metro Denver’s STEM educator.

In fact, Paulina reminds us of Wonder Woman, simply because her superhuman stamina arrives to us in the form of service. One moment, she’s teaching young girls about STEM and the fields they can pursue by studying it, the next, she is at her regularly scheduled mentor meeting with her mentee, Sara.

For Paulina, mentoring provides an experience where two people can share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives to support one another on their life journeys. And her experience as a mentor has been so positive that Sara has requested Paulina be her mentor once again this school year.

“Sara and I clicked very well,” she shared with a smile. “Observing how inspired she feels after we meet, watching her explore her goals and seeing her step into her power and advocate for herself has taught me more about myself than she realizes.”

But Paulina is also a mentee and has taken a great deal from her mentor, Liloni, the facilitator of her Piton Fellowship – a professional development opportunity that Paulina has leaned into. Liloni has provided Paulina with a wealth of valuable insights that have created space for Paulina to think more introspectively about how she leads, and how she fits into the world as a person. She’s also found that working with young girls of color makes her see just how similar the challenges they face are to the ones she faced at their age.

“Everyone should have a mentor,” Paulina explains. “There’s always more to learn and your experiences are valuable. Even if you aren’t going through the same things, there’s value in what you know and what you’re able to pass on.”

And even when her anxieties about not being able to support Sara the way she needs to set in, that self-doubt immediately dissipates when she witnesses Sara step out of her comfort zone to be a little bit better every day.

“She inspires me to be more confident in myself,” Paulina states.

So, what’s Paulina’s actual superpower?

“I’d like to be able to show others a version of their future selves at their greatest potential,” she expressed, with the same light and energy in her eyes we saw when we asked her about her life mantra, which is: ‘The more I invest in myself, the more I’m investing in the people around me.’

And it’s that investment that we know will create lasting impact for the countless others Paulina continues to inspire along the way.