Ithaca College

Six Ithaca College student leaders were selected from a competitive pool to attend the 2016 National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) held June 1-4 in College Park, MD.

The following students had the opportunity to learn about women’s leadership issues from a broad range of speakers, including internationally known activists, politicians, journalists, entrepreneurs, and scientists:

Grace Elletson ’19, Journalism    

Skyler Hollenbeck ’19, Clinical Health Studies

Alexis Powell ’17, Integrated Marketing Communication 

Hannah Robison ’18, Athletic Training

Aliza Sessler ’18, TVR, Media Production          

Anna Wainwright ’19, Health Care Management

These students intend to be leaders in their respective fields and plan to use the information that they learned at the conference to enhance the student organizations they lead on campus, or to present sessions in OSEMA’s Student Leadership Institute during the Fall semester. After the conference, one of the IC students reflected: "After attending I have had an opportunity to see all the different ways I can be a powerful women leader. I had never seen so many driven determined women from so many different backgrounds. I can’t wait to return to IC after this experience. I am a co-president for two different clubs that have very different missions, but with inclusion and listening to everyone’s voice I can gain not only knowledge, but also the trust of the people I am leading. NCCWSL was truly amazing, simply by being exposed to other women leaders I am more confident that I can too be a successful leader." 

Travel to this conference was sponsored by OSEMA and funded in part by a grant from President Emerita Peggy Ryan Williams, to promote women’s leadership development. Michele Lenhart, Director of Student Leadership and Involvement, presented an educational session at NCCWSL called “Authentic Leadership: How Women Make a Lasting Impact.” The Ithaca College attendees were among over 900 students selected to attend the conference from colleges and universities across the United States.