While 2020 continues to be a year of unique and challenging circumstances, the recently concluded election is sure to bring a sense of optimism to our students. For the first time in this country’s history, a woman of color has been elected to national office! In this historic moment, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris represents so much possibility for all Student Leadership Network students.
Indeed, many underrepresented, and often marginalized, Americans are celebrating her success as their own. As a Black and South Asian woman, and the daughter of immigrants, our students can see so much of themselves in our future Vice President, who often talks about the challenges she has faced. In a 2019 interview she said:
“What I want young women and girls to know is: You are powerful and your voice matters. You’re going to walk into many rooms in your life and career where you may be the only one who looks like you or who has had the experiences you’ve had. But you remember that when you are in those rooms, you are not alone. We are all in that room with you applauding you on. Cheering your voice. And just so proud of you. So you use that voice and be strong.”
At Student Leadership Network, our students are often the first in their families to go to college and we work hard to provide them with the preparation and support they need to succeed there and beyond. Creating schools and programs that engender an atmosphere of encouragement, belonging, and inclusion is at the heart of our work. As just one example, our recently created, first-ever Student Leadership Network Advisory Committee – with representation from The Young Women’s Leadership Schools’ (TYWLS) students, alumni, teachers, and a director of college counseling – will help us create programming and partnerships that are more culturally relevant and responsive to our students’ needs. With an incoming administration that has expressed their commitment to educational equity, we look forward to the kind of college access and girls’ education impact we can continue to have – and grow – in NYC and nationally.
It is our hope that seeing someone in the White House who looks like them, who has had experiences similar to theirs, and who has achieved so much will be the ultimate inspiration for our students to take everything they are learning now, and go on to be trailblazers like Madam Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. The SL Network community will be there applauding and cheering them on every step of the way.
Always my best,
Yolonda B. Marshall
Chief Executive Officer