Program Details

Leadership Tradition
Mount Holyoke College, sponsor of Take the Lead, is among the nation's top liberal arts colleges. If you’re selected to participate, you’ll be learning about leadership at an institution that has a proud tradition of cultivating powerful women leaders. You will truly be tapping into the legacy of Mary Lyon, Emily Dickinson, Frances Perkins, Gloria Johnson-Powell, Kavita Ramdas, and many others who have walked through these gates. More about our history…

Eligibility
Young women in their sophomore year of high school may be nominated to participate by their guidance counselors, principals, headmasters, teachers, religious or community leaders, or other adult mentors.  Nominees are then invited to submit applications.  (Participants will attend the program in the fall of their junior year.) 

Selection Criteria
Participants will be selected on the basis of their potential for leadership and making a difference, as demonstrated by their academic, extracurricular, and community involvement, as well as their insight and motivation to take action on an issue.  Selection is competitive, and space is limited to 42 students.

Action Project
The signature component of Take the Lead is the action project. Your project will be unique and true to your own beliefs.  Come with a project idea and we’ll help you turn it into a reality.  The possibilities are boundless. 

Take the Lead gives student leaders the chance to join a network of young, action-oriented women who are passionate about important issues.  Many Take the Lead alumnae have changed the world in significant ways, receiving local, regional, and national recognition in the news for their outstanding projects.  Learn how award winners have created action projects to make a real difference.