Reflection on the 2011 Young Women’s Leadership Workshop in South Africa by Hayley Milliman ’12

By the time we reached Johannesburg on March 12th, we had developed a strong presentation which we hoped would convey our messages about leadership: that every young woman has the potential to be a leader and that, as high school students, they do not need to wait to take action.

Though we had prepared and reviewed for hours, when the time came to actually deliver the workshop, I was incredibly nervous. I need not have worried. Each of the students spoke about her desire to create positive change. One student spoke about creating a resource clinic for teenage pregnancies, another about creating a more sustainable environment in her school. Another spoke passionately about a desire to show the world the true Africa: a land full of history, promise, and future. I have since heard from a few of the students, who have updated me on their plans for implementing their projects and are speaking with each other about future collaborations. For me, that was the greatest reward I could have asked for: knowing that our workshops facilitated the opportunity for these extraordinary young women to come together and work towards building a better future.

- Hayley Milliman ’12

Hayley was one of six students selected to travel to South Africa to attend the Barnard’s Third Annual Global Symposium and assist with a leadership workshop for high school students from around Johannesburg.