Differences Magazine

This summer, instead of spending my time at the beach or the movies, I decided to fly halfway across the country to attend the Girls’ Leadership Workshop (GLW) in Hyde Park, New York. Upon my arrival there, I met 30 girls who would become my sisters over the course of ten days. We hailed from all over the country and came from different religions, races, and backgrounds, but we were drawn together by our mutual admiration of Eleanor Roosevelt, whose leadership qualities are the inspiration for the program. My fellow participants amaze me in how caring, smart, talented, and beautiful they are, and I know they will accomplish great things in their lives. Included in our ranks was an attendee of an international primatology conference, a writer for a magazine published in the US and in Kenya, a director of a charitable organization and so many other accomplished people. Initially, I felt intimidated by all of the amazing people surrounding me. However, over the course of the week, I learned that I am unique and special just the way I am and that I have the potential to change the world for the better. My personal transformation would never have happened without the girls I met at GLW, who cried with me, celebrated with me, and accepted me for who I am. I will be forever indebted to them for their genuine friendship.

In addition to the incredible amount of support the staff gave us themselves, they also introduced us to powerful women leaders in the community. These women, through presentations, panels, career shadowing visits, and meals, listened to our stories and shared words of wisdom from their lives and careers. Many of these meetings took place during our two day trip to New York City. The highlight of my GLW experience, which took place during the New York City trip, is a dinner we had with women leaders at the Cosmopolitan Club in Manhattan. Among these women were a New York State Supreme Court judge, an independent filmmaker, and a CNN anchor. We mingled at a “mocktail” hour and then ate dinner in small groups with a specific guest. The dinner conversation was lively as we discussed both their careers and our lives, and we gained a great deal of knowledge and advice from our time with these women.