Meredith Conference Helps High School Women Strengthen Leadership Skills

On Saturday, February 2, 2019, 160 high school women attended the annual Leadership Conference for High School Women that was held on Meredith’s campus. Students from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Maryland honed their leadership skills while experiencing a college campus environment.

The conference is a joint effort of Meredith’s Office of Admissions and the Student Leadership and Service Office. This year’s theme was Living Out Leadership. Ten leadership workshops were led by Meredith students, graduate interns, Meredith staff and alumnae, and a higher education professional.

Workshop sessions covered a range of topics, with titles such as Etiquette 101: I got my professional handshake (and more) down! and Embracing Confidence in your Workplace and Education. Students focused on self-confidence and leadership as well as how to define and live out their own unique leadership visions.

“The purpose of the conference is to inspire and challenge young women to lead with strength and confidence within their own communities,” said Catie McAnulty, assistant director of student leadership and service and co-coordinator for the conference. “Our goal is to challenge students to lean in – speak up, be a role model to others, engage in their school/local communities, and create change where they see change is needed.”

Every attendee participated in a workshop led by Meredith students and using the “True Colors” assessment tool. Through the assessment, each learned more about her unique leadership and communication style and how to work more effectively with different styles that others may have.

“Students learned about various leadership topics and developed essential skills necessary for leaders, especially through the lens of non-positional leadership,” said McAnulty.

Admissions Counselor Lexi Shank attended this same conference herself and remembers the impact it had.

“Students are permitted to attend even if they do not have an interest in applying to or attending Meredith College. However, when students register to attend, they open a point of contact for us to reach out to them,” said Shank. “Attending the conference nine years ago allowed me to see more about what life at Meredith would be like.”

Student conference coordinator Naomi Hill, ’21, enjoyed working behind the scenes and learning about all that goes into planning and holding an event at Meredith. She also appreciated the opportunity to meet the young women who attended the conference.

“All of these juniors who came to spend their Saturday with us learning about leadership were inspiring,” said Hill. “Organizing the women’s leadership conference was empowering because it showed me how much hope there is for the future of women.”