At quitting time we took a group shot after a long yet rewarding day.

One Saturday per month Raritan Valley’s chapter of Habitat For Humanity hosts their well-known Women Build Day at their Bridgewater work site. Six WILD members – Mercedes Contreras, Rebeccah McGettigan, Asiah Dent, Christina Federowski, Jeannesis Rodriguez, and Christine Sinisi and myself rose early to make the trek from Lakewood to Bridgewater at 7:00 AM this past Saturday. What we encountered was an amazing group of women ranging in age from 16 to late 50s, all of whom shared a direct and heartfelt passion for helping others. We learned how to apply aluminum siding and roofing to a house. We learned how to correctly measure wooden planks to complete the building of a shed. We learned how to install bamboo flooring. We learned how to caulk window ledges. And those experiences were great. We joked that we won’t need contractors to make home improvements when we each have our own homes. But there was something more that we each took away from the experience. We sat and spoke to some of the women for whom the houses were being built, listening to the sincere delight in their voices. One woman remembered the exact date, time and place she was when she got the fateful call from Habitat three years ago, telling her that she had been selected for a new home. They were mostly young women with children who are working to make a better life and simply needed a willing and helping hand to do so.

In all of the technical/construction learning that took place, we took away something much deeper. It truly is better to give than to receive. As educated women leaders we will never reach a point in our lives where our help is not needed. It is our duty. No matter how large or small our contribution to humanity we are better women and the world is a better place for it. The seven hours of labor we put in on Saturday day may have left us a bit sore or with an accidentally hammered finger or two (Mercedes), but more importantly it left us with sense of Purpose higher than ourselves.

Mercedes Contreras and Christine Sinisi apply wooden planks to a shed with the guidance of a Habitat For Humanity work site leader.

“…It really was an experience that I will never forget. I had so much fun. Doing something like this to help those families is very rewarding and that at the end of the hard working day you feel good about yourself and the cause you are (helping). Thank you so much for having us there and I can’t wait to go back.”

- Mercedes Contreras – WILD VI

“What I liked most about Women’s Build Day with Habitat for Humanity was being able to work, hands-on with projects I’ve never accomplished before, like cutting, drilling and screwing spindles onto a porch. It was definitely a new experience but well worth it. I loved having the honor of working with the women who were going to be receiving these homes, as well as having the privilege of knowing their heartwarming stories. I learned how important and effective it is to work together for a common goal and how proud one can be of themselves for putting in hard work. The feeling of working on and putting together a house that one day a family will live in is indescribable. This experience allows you to reach out to people in support and physical activity that I cannot wait to take part in again.

- Rebeccah McGettigan – WILD VII

“(We) are God’s hands extended to humanity, His feet driven with a Purpose, His heart with an insatiable need to give, His eyes to see the world and all it holds as it is, His forethought to use (our) gifts to leave this world as it should be… a little bit better.”

- Ashley Hobbs

More photographs of our amazing day with Habitat can be viewed in the Photo Gallery and the WILD Facebook page, www.facebook.com/GCUWILD.

A few WILD members take a photograph with Ambassador Burk after her Fireside chat.

“A good mentor is a thing of beauty.” – Ambassador Susan Burke

On September 15, 2010  W.I.L.D women from groups VI and VII had the chance to sit down with Ambassador Susan Burk to discuss her career journey with the U.S government. Ambassador Burk is a successful woman who graduated from Trinity College in Washington D.C. with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Government from Georgetown University.  She is now works with other States to strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the International Non-Proliferation Regime. Susan Burk spoke to us of her journey in government. Burk began as an intern with the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for about four months which was located in the Pentagon and a part of the Department of Defense. It was here that she learned much about leadership skills from how well the military trained their officers in leadership techniques and skills. From there she was able to work with leaders such as  then Secretary of State, Colin Powell. Burk stated, “Traveling with him is like being with a rock star.”

Ambassador Susan Burk told the crowd that she learned most of her leadership skills while in the Air Force. She gave us ten important points of advice which we received as very important lessons to learn throughout our leadership journey at Georgian Court University:

1. Look for opportunities to lead. – If you are presented with a leadership opportunity, take it because it gives you the experience and knowledge you need to move ahead.
2. Importance of communication – Knowledge is power but teaching that knowledge is even more powerful.
3. Be a good listener.
4. Know what you know and know what you don’t know. – It is okay not to know everything and it is okay to ask questions when you don’t know the answer.
5. If you make a bad decision, change it. – It is okay to admit that you messed up but be prepared to fix the situation.
6. Treat people with respect. – Give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Allow them to express their ideas. When addressing someone, be professional at all times. Show gratitude where it is needed!
7. Project optimism. – Always have a positive attitude even when things seem as though they are not going as planned. Remember every problem has a solution and with a little brainstorming it can be solved.
8. Don’t be afraid. – Take risks and try things that you normally would not. It will benefit you in the long run.
9. “On their deathbed no one ever regrets not spending enough time at the office.”
10. Look after yourself.  -Never neglect yourself when it comes to work. Work may get hectic from time to time but make sure that you can put that work away and spend time to focus on yourself.

Ambassador Susan Burk left our minds filled with excitement and also with the strength to strive to be all that we can be as women. These ten points will not happen over night but if we keep them in our minds and practice them everyday, women of this country will soon recognize their  strength in this world and collectively use it to affect positive change.

WILD VII member, Azaria Valentin asks career advice of Ambassador Burk.

“We as women have ways to go.” – Ambassador Susan Burk

Written by: Jennifer Valentin and Shinade Ramirez

As we sleep-deprived WILD members trudged into the North Dining Room at 8:30am, after braving hurricane-like weather in our signature business casual outfits, the main thought on everyone’s mind was what is being served for breakfast and how fast can I inhale a cup of coffee. After finishing a fabulous breakfast and bracing cup of coffee, we were greeted by a cheerful and energetic Catholic Relief Services (CRS) organizer named Candice.

Far from the standard presentation I was expecting to receive about the merits of advocating on the behalf of others, Candice explained that we would be focusing on women during the day’s presentation. After briefly illustrating the difference between charity and justice, we were told that our topic for the day would be advocating for justice for women. We explored a range of topics, from trafficking in women and immigration, to conflict minerals in the Congo (think “Blood Diamond”) and severely lacking maternal health care services in Sierra Leone and Nigeria, to sweatshop conditions of women in India and the advances Fair Trade certified products are making in their communities, to microlending to women.

We are a very diverse group of women, and soon enough questions about cultural practices and motivations for them were flying around the room. Everyone felt very comfortable in asking questions and sharing their own life experiences. One student originally from Sierra Leone shared her personal testimony about the civil war in the early ‘90s. Although these were emotionally taxing issues, rather than walking away feeling depressed, we began to feel energized and empowered. We were offered so many opportunities to play a role in addressing these issues, that you couldn’t help but feel that you needed to do something positive as soon as you walked out of the room.

Candice engagingly shared with us the many efforts CRS is making in country to work with local populations to resolve the issues at hand. We were presented with various resolutions currently before Congress aimed to correct these dire situations and educated about how specifically those resolutions would help. We discussed protests and tips for visiting your local representative’s and senators’ offices. We shared with one another the keys to a successful lobby trip. By the end of the session, we were all fired up to go out and make our political mark and advocate on behalf of women suffering cruel indignity world-wide. Just hours later, we already have several WILD women preparing to take part in a march/protest for immigration reform in Washington D.C. this coming Sunday. I can’t wait to see what my fellow WILD women and I will achieve in the near future as we combine our considerable strengths, talents, and passions together on the behalf of our global sisters!

God Bless,

Amanda Brown