Laura Peña is the founder of She is the Universe, a global platform designed to amplify the voices of teenage girls from around the world. She looks to inspire, empower and offer them the support they need to stand in their own stories and to pursue their dreams, through storytelling, mentorship and community. You can follow along or support the project on Patreon.

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, she discovered a love of design, animation, filmmaking, storytelling and technology that led her to New York City to study. Her fierce commitment to her craft led her to work with many of the top brands in the world and eventually found her own creative design lab, JelloMonsters.

For the past year, Laura has put nearly every part of her life on hiatus and has been traveling the globe, creating a video docuseries for She is the Universe. She is on a quest to capture and share the stories, dreams, hopes, struggles and triumphs of 111 teenage girls of all shapes, sizes, colors, languages, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Her ultimate goal is to not only offer their unfiltered stories, but also create a place for them to see themselves in others and find a sense of community, mentorship and possibility.