Over the course of my sophomore year I was granted the opportunity to participate in the ATHENA Women’s Leadership Institute and attend the Cultivating Women Leaders Conference through Olivet College; I chose this topic as the conference takes place again today, Friday, March 22nd, 2019.
I am grateful for the leadership program as it allowed for me to express my passion over topics like females in criminal justice. The leadership program allowed for me to learn from my female peers in the criminal justice program, as we exchanged ways on how we were each preparing ourselves to enter a male dominated field and how we felt we could individually make a change in the field for females; many of my female peers seek to be examples to younger girls and show them how females can strive in a male dominated field like criminal justice. It was amazing to learn from my female peers as we share similar ideas, but previously had no format to talk about it until the leadership program put several of us in the same room and in discussions together.
Another amazing takeaway for me from the leadership program was meeting several other females who share the same aspirations and opinions as me which allowed for me to create friendships that will last me a life time. A group of us in the program came together and we were constantly supporting each other throughout the program, defending each other’s views when we felt it was necessary and encouraging each other to speak up when they were afraid to share their thoughts with a large and unfamiliar group of people. The program allowed for me to bond with many women that I would not have known without the program since not all of us came from the same or similar majors. I am grateful to have the support of so many women on campus, and it is all due to the women’s leadership program of the College.