LAMORINDA WEEKLY | SMC's NEW Leadership program geared to encourage political involvement in women | Moraga | St. Mary's College | SMC Moraga


SMC Professors Myrna Santiago (left) and Maria Luisa Ruiz head the steering committee for NEW Leadership Photo Vera Kochan

Saint Mary's College has taken up the banner in California when it comes to hosting the first, and hopefully annual, New Education for Women's (NEW) Leadership program thanks to the efforts of the school's Women's and Gender Studies Department. The week-long program taught undergraduate women how to become actively involved in politics, advocacy, and public service.

Rutgers University first came up with the NEW Leadership concept 30 years ago, and have expanded NEW to approximately 15 colleges nationwide. SMC's steering committee members for the program, who are also with Women's and Gender Studies, are Professor Myrna Santiago, Department of History, and Professor Maria Luisa Ruiz, Department of World Languages and Cultures.

According to Santiago and Ruiz, SMC applied for the "job" and was accepted. That entailed a visit to Rutgers to see how the program was operated, although each school is encouraged to make the program their own while preparing the students for a possible career in politics or social activism. "It's about women coming together and finding their own voice. Some students don't know if this is a field that they'd like to get into, so we intentionally picked guest speakers who were seasoned in their areas. Women are more apt to be under a microscope in these types of positions, so you need to build a thick skin."

Both professors were enthusiastic about offering the June 21 - June 28 course to the 17 applicants from community colleges and universities around the Bay Area. Choosing to admit a small number of students to the program was intended to make the learning experience more intimate. "We wanted to use this as an opportunity to build connections and network," explained Ruiz. "It's a concentrated way to open a door for yourself."

SMC chose applicants who demonstrated leadership experience at their respective campus or community and were seeking to expand their knowledge about politics and civic engagement. "The applications included questions with regards to past experience," stated Santiago. "We also wanted recommendations from professors, and we reached out to other schools and contacts that we knew in order to get good candidates. Most were from community colleges, five are from St. Mary's and one is from Humboldt."

Lafayette Mayor Gina Dawson, California State Representative Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton, and Orinda Mayor Darlene Gee, were among the more than 22 guest speakers and panelists scheduled for the one week program.

Besides attending lectures and workshops on topics ranging from the workings of state politics to how to run a political campaign, and the opportunity to participate in professionalization sessions in order to learn the necessary skills for entrance into the public sphere and succeed, the students traveled to the Capitol in Sacramento for a government day to learn how to present bills through the legislature by joining teams and taking on a variety of roles during the process.

"This will be an annual event, and hopefully it will get bigger," said Santiago and Ruiz. "We are very thankful for the seed money we received to do this -- from the League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women, and especially the SMC alumni. We want this to be a long term sustainable program."

For more information email: newleadershipsmc@stmarys-ca.edu.