NEWARK, NJ — It's an inspiring tale of rising from tragedy to become "a symbol of hope for the young women of Newark." That's the story of A'Dorian Murray-Thomas, the founder and executive director of SHE Wins Inc., a local nonprofit that empowers young women who have experienced the tragedy of violence to replace nightmares with dreams of community leadership and college.

Last month, A'Dorian Murray-Thomas was named the 50th "New Jersey Hero" in the state's history, a title awarded by First Lady Mary Pat Christie's eponymously named nonprofit. The New Jersey Hero award recognizes the "positive and unique ways people and organizations are impacting New Jersey and their communities," a description that more than qualifies Murray-Thomas.

According to a news release from the New Jersey Office of the Governor: "At an early age, A'Dorian, overcame the death of her father after he was fatally shot in Newark. She created SHE Wins to empower young women like herself who have experienced the tragedy of violence by implementing a system of support that encourages community leadership and college and career readiness… Since its founding, the SHE Wins organization has helped more than 200 girls between the ages of 10 and 15 through summer, after-school, workshop, and conference programming. The She Wins curriculum combines social justice, mentorship, and leadership development programming to provide young girls with the skills to advance themselves academically, but also the tools to discover solutions to the issues that affect their communities." Youth-led community service projects run by SHE Wins have impacted nearly 1,000 members of the Newark community, state officials said. For more information about She Wins, visit: www.shewins.org.

"A'Dorian has drawn strength from her own personal loss to become a symbol of hope for the young women of Newark," Masry Pat Christie said. "She is providing a strong, resilient support system that fosters and encourages these girls to flourish scholastically while becoming successful leaders in the community and in our state." "At SHE Wins, our motto is 'She needed a hero, so she became her own,'" Murray-Thomas said. "The young scholars of SHE Wins work tirelessly at transforming their lives and communities every day. They are the true heroes."

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