Women's Leadership Initiative 2017-2018 Overview

Spring 2018 marked the completion of the second year of the Women’s Leadership Initiative’s (WLI). WLI provides opportunities for undergraduate students to develop their leadership self-efficacy through personal interaction and one-onone mentoring with professionals from the USU campus, the Logan community, and the state.

During the seven Saturday sessions held monthly throughout the academic year, students discuss leadership, research articles, and organize and moderate speaker panels with community and faculty leaders. They develop ‘difficult conversation’ role-plays, attend networking events, and work individually with leadership mentors.

At a recent CWG development board meeting, several WLI students commented on the benefits of the program.

“The first question I asked my mentor was, ‘How do you get done what you need to get done within time constraints,’” Krista Delozier said. “I feel

comfortable calling on my mentor when I need help. I feel supported in where I am going and what I am doing.”

Another WLI student, Madison Elliot, said, “I never realized the opportunities available at USU. I originally questioned my ability to lead professional or academic conversations, but WLI built my confidence.”

“The most beneficial part of WLI was communicating with faculty,” said Nahomi Jimenez. “WLI requires dedication, hard work, and the will to adapt and learn.” As a first-generation student at USU, Jimenez said the WLI helped launch her in ways she had not considered. Through networking at WLI sessions, she was asked to speak at the Logan Women’s March and introduced to the Fulbright program.

Applications are accepted for the 2019-2020 WLI Cohort during the spring semester. More information about WLI is available at cwg.usu.edu/careerawards

Perspectives on Success

Inaugural WLI Graduation Address

By Crescencio López González

“It is about us as a community. When we embrace equality, we embrace ourselves. We embrace our humanity.”

WHEN I STARTED TEACHING at Utah State, I noticed female students were working twice as hard as their male counterparts. Every semester, at the beginning of each class, I provide research opportunities to all students, and normally I would have at least one or two male students come to my office and tell me they were interested in doing research, but women never did. When it came down to writing the research papers, I could tell the women had worked harder than the men. Their essays were more polished, more documented, and it was obvious they spent a lot of time on them. They wanted me to notice them through their hard work. I was curious to know why they never came to my office and asked for research opportunities, even though they clearly had the skills. This is the reason I decided to participate as a discussant in the monthly gatherings of the Women’s Leadership Initiative. I wanted to learn how to empower women in my classes.

And so, I came to the first meeting and found myself feeling like I was in the wrong place, like I didn’t belong and I wanted to leave. I felt intimidated by all these smart, well-dressed women. But I decided to stay and deal with my own insecurities. In each session, I learned something new, and over time I became more comfortable attending the sessions. Towards the end, I felt I somehow did belong to this group. Over time, I have

integrated myself into the group and I no longer feel like an outsider. I remember listening to the story of Ann Austin at the very beginning of our sessions and connecting with her story. She has been through so much, and we agreed that each of us has our own stories to tell. After listening to her, I found myself more comfortable learning how to empower women.

This is advice I can offer you from what I have learned.

In our last session, our group talked about decentering the self and creating a community where everyone could feel welcomed and part of the group at the same level. All of us coming together as equals to the table. I believe that to grow as an individual one has to create a community by inviting others to share the stage. It is through the process of working for others that the self becomes strong and powerful. You empower yourself by inviting others to the center. That’s how you become a leader. You

have to sacrifice the self for others to see you are worth following.

I know the knowledge you have acquired by attending the WLI is like seeds of knowledge. They will bear fruit in time, and through the passing of years and experience that you gain in your life, you will begin to see those seeds germinate and grow. Perhaps years from now you will reap the fruits of this harvest. Later in life, you will be in leadership positions to create opportunities for others - for the dispossessed, for those in need. And whenever you see a reflection of your younger self, you will know what to do.

The Center of Women and Gender is a safe space created for you to learn from other strong women. It was created for you to hear other women’s stories of wisdom and love. It was created for you to empower yourself with the hope that one day you will do the same. The knowledge you have acquired can be described as a fresh coat of paint, brand new, like a pair of shoes, but not yet part of your identity. It is going to take years for you to recognize and integrate the knowledge you have gained. Don’t worry; it is intended to be that way.

In the end, it is not about the self where we find happiness, it is about us as a community. When we embrace equality, we embrace ourselves. We embrace our humanity. And so, the fight should continue.

MANY THANKS

to the following faculty who served as WLI faculty discussants in the WLI sessions during the 2017-2018 Cohort. Their willingness to engage with the students and lead small group discussions with leadership articles was an integral component of the program.

KAITLIN BUNDOCK Assistant Professor: Special Education and Rehabilitation

DIANE CALLOWAY-GRAHAM Practicum Director – Professor, Social Work: Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology

JULIE FOUST Senior Lecturer: English

DENNISE GACKSTETTER Senior Lecturer, Art Education: Art and Design

LAURA GELFAND Professor: Art History: Art and Design

KERI HOLT Associate Professor: English

PHEBE JENSEN Professor: English

CRESCENCIO LÓPEZ-GONZÁLEZ Associate Professor, Latinx Studies: Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies

SHERRY MARX Professor, ESL/Multicultural Education/Qualitative Methods: TEAL

SUZANNE PIERCE-MOORE Chair, Center for Women and Gender Development Board, USU Alumnus

MIMI RECKER Professor: Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences

ALAN SAVITSKY Professor: Biology

TERESA THEURER Board of Regents Member, USU Alumnus

IDALIS VILLENUEVA Assistant Professor: Engineering Education

ALMUT VOLLMER Research Assistant Professor: Nutrition, Dietetics & Food Sciences