by Annika Bjornson | Staff Writer
Over the years, women have contributed to the legacy of Whitworth’s excellence in innumerable ways. The newly established Whitworth Women’s Leadership Network seeks to elevate the female experience in order to promote continued inspiration of excellence—both on and off campus.
The official launch of the network was on Nov. 14 where around 30 people gathered to hear from the selected student panel of five female leaders.
The network was started last year and focused on the alumni side of things, with connecting alumni to students in mentorships, holding leadership training and roundtable discussions, networking among leaders in diverse industries, and more. Now the student branch will begin its programming in order to promote the support of women in their pursuits while attending Whitworth.
According to their page on Whitworth’s website, “the Whitworth Women’s Leadership Network exists to harness the collective leadership of these women and to create a means through which we pursue leadership together and professionally support each other and Whitworth’s current female students.”
The network will pull in alumna mentors, faculty, students and other Whitworth community members in monthly programming and other opportunities. They recently attended a free class at a nearby workout studio, The Barre Code. In January, they will be hosting a book club with Julie Taylor. Early February will see an event called “Cupcakes and Conversations” at Sweet Frostings, and the spring will involve numerous events including a conference akin to TED conference called “Girl Talk.”
Senior Shelby Krug, the network’s student coordinator, also invites non-female students to be a part of the dialogue.
“The network is not limited to one type of woman, or even to women,” Krug said. “We want anyone and everyone who wants to support women in these pursuits to be a part of the network so that we can continue to grow and figure out what it means to support women, and how we can do that best in the Whitworth community.”
Krug encourages people to reach out and share their questions and ideas with the network.
“Because the network is still so new, we are not set in our ways. Reaching out with any ideas and sharing them with us will be the way that we can progress together in this community, which is the entire purpose of the network.”
In order to learn more, find the Whitworth Women’s Leadership Network on Instagram at @whitworthwomensnetwork or email skrug20@my.whitworth.edu.