On August 25 our WILD Women enjoyed one of the most engaging Welcome Back Team Challenges WILD has seen to date. There was a raging sea of green, yellow, and orange t-shirts with a dash of pink all throughout the Italian Gardens participating in various team building exercises.  

A few of the positive things these young women took away from that fateful day are:  

1) I’ve learned that I can trust others more.  

2) We’re all leaders but we can each step back and let someone else take the lead sometimes.  

3) I’m going to try to come out of my shell more.  

4) I have great ideas that I’m not so afraid to share anymore.  

5) This year is a new beginning for me.  

6) I don’t have to be like anyone else. I am learning to be myself no matter what.  

7) I didn’t think I had leadership skills in me but now I see that I do.  

Samantha Arias and Nora McCarthy (WILD VI)

Azaria Valentin (WILD VII), Kristee Lauro (WILD VI), Nicole Cavuoto (WILD VII) in deep discussion.

Kristee Lauro (WILD VI), Graduate Assistant, Ashley Hobbs, Caitlin Kozla (WILD VII), and Nicole Cavuoto (WILD VII).

Danielle Mizerek (WILD V) blindfoled, being guided through a small obstacle course.

Fiona Young (WILD VII), Dean Karen Goff, and Mariah Iapicco (WILD VII) participating in the 'Trust Fall' exercise.

  

Rose Clarke-Taylor (WILD VII) finishing the 'Car and Driver' team challenge with Rosina Desir (WILD VII) as Dean Karen Goff and Patricia Jackuewicz look on.Dean Karen Goff observes as WILD Women process after a particular challenge.

All photographs from the day’s events are available at:

www.facebook.com/GCUWILD

Who is the most influential woman in history? To me, the most influential woman would be Sandra Day O’Connor.

Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O’Connor in 1981 to the Supreme Court, making her he first female member on the US Supreme Court.  O’Connor often became the deciding vote when making decisions. During her time on the Supreme Court, O’Connor made it clear that American society was to interpret the law, not to legislate! She usually was very conservative but she frequently surprised many of her followers with her political independence.

Sandra Day O’Connor was a quiet, but determined woman who became a role model for women everywhere. She is an advocate for education. I was watching “Good Morning America” one morning, and Sandra Day O’Connor was a guest. She had said something that had me thinking. O’Connor said, “More Americans can name a judge on “American Idol” than can name the three branches of government.” Her concern for education and civics had O’Connor devoted to serving her community, devoting her time to volunteering and lecturing.

I think Sandra Day O’Connor is a great role model, and is one of the most influential women, who fought for women and our rights. O’Connor was the first American woman on the Supreme Court, and set a political example for women in the future. Without O’Connor we would have never had such respect for women in politics. I believe that we would have never had a woman campaign for president in America, if it wasn’t for Sandra Day O’Connor to set the political example.

Women in Politics

- Julia A. Hollywood

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

Remember the amazing retreat WILD VII had? What an amazing way to get a group of girls who were unfamiliar with one another, to bond and truly call themselves sisters. The games that we played the first day not only helped us make friends, but also to understand ourselves more. It taught us to make decisions on our own and to demonstrate what we would do in certain situations.

What a great way to begin our first steps in becoming leaders.  The retreat was also  a wonderful way to meet Ms. Karen Souffrant and learn about her story. With that being said, what about that speaker? Such a powerful and moving woman. She made us think about life in a different perspective and actually had us doing an activity that visually laid out our lives. It was truly moving to me! I hope that everyone continues to meet with their groups that they were placed in at the retreat. I hope that these leaders can help you get through your tough times with school work and everyday emotional problems.

Let WILD help you learn your strengths and teach you how to use them. In every woman there is always a positive role model ready to rule the world. You don’t necessarily have to be the C.E.O in every company but always keep in mind that you can do anything if you truly want it.

With Love,

Jennifer Valentin

Jennifer Valentin

The non-fiction book that examines the lives of women worldwide has been a hot topic of discussion as leaders work to empower women financially and through education.

This book may be the title for a campuswide read in 2010.

Thanks for stopping by to read what WILD women at Georgian Court University have to say about leadership.

The topic couldn’t be more timely as our country struggles with tough decisions and hard answers to challenging matters like governance, spending, healthcare, education and lots of other issues.

At Georgian Court, we don’t just learn from the faculty or from  the textbooks we study. We learn to lead by getting involved on campus and in our community.

Check in with us to hear more about our leadership development experiences and our thoughts on some of the hottest issues being talked about on the Web.

For more information about WILD, contact the Office of Student Development at Georgian Court University, 900 Lakewood Ave., Lakewood, NJ 08707-2697. We can be reached by phone at 732.987.2601.