MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE
TEEN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE WELCOMES
FORTY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS
FROM ACROSS THE U.S.

Fourth annual Take the Lead conference scheduled for
October 2 through 5

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Forty high school juniors from across the country will converge on campus October 2 through 5 for Take the Lead, an intensive four-day teen leadership conference that gives girls the tools to turn ideas for social change into action.

The program, now in its fourth year, has inspired and equipped scores of girls to bring their ideas to life. Among the many past successes are Anna Boatwright, who was saluted in Seventeen magazine for creating a program that brought dance instruction to disadvantaged youths in Charleston, S.C.; Caitlin Gorski, who organized a job fair for Boston's homeless men and women; and Susan Sparrow, who with two fellow students successfully lobbied the Utah legislature to launch a study of pay disparities between male and female state workers.

“We wanted to create a program in which, at an early age, girls realize they can make their voices count in the world,” said program chair Patricia VandenBerg, the College’s executive director of communications and strategic initiatives. “Participants come to see that they are in a very powerful position because, not in spite, of their youth,” VandenBerg said. “It is nearly impossible for adults to say no to articulate, passionate young people who want help with a meaningful cause.”

Each participant will be paired with a Mount Holyoke student mentor who has been trained at the College's Weissman Center for Leadership. The program of lectures, workshops, brainstorming, and nurturing helps each girl develop a detailed plan to effect positive change in her school, community, or the world at large. This year's participants represent every region of the country, and come from as far away as Honolulu, Hawaii, and as near as South Hadley.

Nearly 700 candidates were nominated by their counselors, teachers, religious or community leaders, and other adult mentors. The participating girls were chosen on the basis of their potential for leadership and making a difference, as demonstrated by their academic, extracurricular, and community involvement as well as insight and motivation. VandenBerg said the program, this year, has arrived at a very rewarding point because it’s “coming full circle.” One of the 1999 participants, Wilson Sherwin, is now a Mount Holyoke sophomore and will be a mentor this year. “I wouldn’t be at Mount Holyoke if it wasn’t for Take the Lead,” said Sherwin. “It completely changed my perception of what I should be looking for in a school…. The mentors were so smart and dedicated … but they were cool women having fun.”

Nina Akerley, a senior psychology major with a minor in complex organizations, will be a mentor for the second year in a row. She describes the environment as “electric,” particularly in workshops where the group dynamic helps reinforce the sense that “with creativity and determination … women can do anything.” Topics include fundraising/budgeting, conflict resolution, time management, community organizing, and getting publicity.

Mentors keep in touch with their participants, generally through email, over the six months following the conference, offering advice and encouragement when appropriate. Sherwin’s mentor remained in contact throughout her project – related to reproductive rights and education for women — and after, when Sherwin began the college application process. "I loved my mentor,” she said. “She’s why I’m here. She showed me the values and culture of Mount Holyoke."

This year's guest speakers are:

Simisola Sanni, a member of the College’s class of 1997, helped to create and headed a new Junior Achievement program in Nigeria. A Nigerian herself, Sanni saw how badly the country's educational system had declined and believed that future business leaders would be needed to rebuild Nigeria's collapsed economy. A multiyear challenge grant from Procter & Gamble made it possible to launch the program, with Sanni serving as its first executive director. She now attends Harvard Business School, and serves on Junior Achievement of Nigeria's board.

Patricia VandenBerg, the director of Take the Lead, is a nationally recognized authority in communications and leading change. A professor, college administrator, and consultant, she has worked with individuals and groups across the country helping them hone their ability to lead and to create positive change. Much of VandenBerg's work has focused on empowering women and girls. Participants will use her "leadership change model" as the basis for developing plans for their action projects.

Heidi Roop is a first-year student at Mount Holyoke. In 1999, when Heidi Roop traveled to Michoacán, Mexico, the winter breeding ground of the monarch butterfly, she saw how deforestation was destroying the native Oyamel tree on which the monarch roosts. Two years ago, when she participated in Take the Lead, she developed a plan to support Michoacán’s impoverished schools and educate its children about the environmental impact of deforestation. Heidi is studying in Ecuador on an Award of Excellence full scholarship.

W. Rochelle Calhoun is a member of the College's class of 1983 and executive director of the Mount Holyoke College Alumnae Association. Calhoun, former acting dean of the college and dean of students, has lead diversity roundtables at Mount Holyoke and set up a peer mediation program that trains students to resolve issues in a constructive, positive manner.

Mount Holyoke College is one of the nation's finest liberal arts colleges. Rigorous academics, an internationally diverse student body, and integration of cutting-edge technologies through all aspects of the Mount Holyoke curriculum create an environment that prepares women to become leaders in an increasingly complex world.