A Year in Review

Helping start and being a part of Schreyer for Women this year was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences during my time at Penn State. I had the pleasure of serving in a position that no longer exists (Vice President) and also as the Director of Special Projects. Being part of a group of brilliant women that are so engaged, so compassionate, and so enthusiastic is in some ways hard to describe. The opportunity to create and attend events like discussion dinners (or as we like to call them Big Question Dinners) around important questions like the #MeToo movement, launching a successful micro-financing campaign, and filming a goofy recruitment video gave me a feeling of sisterhood, made me feel like I was having a real impact with my peers and in the world, and challenged me to grow as an individual and as a leader.

Not only were the things we did special, it’s who we did it with that made it extraordinary. SfW brought me closer in such meaningful ways to women I had know for my three previous years in Schreyer, introduced me to amazing underclasswomen I otherwise wouldn’t have encountered, and gave me a new group of friends to bounce ideas off of and go to cool events and speakers with it. I’ve found that it is sometimes daunting to find friends that are substantial and as nerdy and into learning, exploring, and personal development as I am. Schreyer for Women attracts women like that, who are interested in truly getting to know who you are.

Building an organization from the ground up was difficult at times, but in reality happened with such ease because of the great members we were lucky enough to have join us and the need for a women oriented organization SfW filled within Schreyer. I’ll never forget our very first meeting our meeting room C9 was bursting at the seams with enthusiastic Schreyer scholars eager to hear about the newest club in the college.

I’m really proud of all of the meaningful events, projects, and relationships that formed and occurred as a result of Schreyer for Women. I’m so excited to see what the future has in store for Schreyer for Women. As such a new club, there’s so much freedom and flexibility as to what issues we want to tackle and discuss next. But the special part that continues to stick out to me as I reflect on my time with SfW is the special magic of our members. It’s rare to find a space that’s so female oriented, so supportive, so intelligent, and so fun. I hope that you find SfW to be as rewarding as I did!

Best of luck with your journey at Penn State, Schreyer, and beyond! Enjoy every moment of it and be kind.