The Central Connecticut State University Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center held its eighth annual Elect Her Campaign Training event on Friday, Feb. 23.
The event featured several interactive workshops, including a conversation with New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart and a panel with women members of the Student Government Association.
Stewart, a CCSU graduate and a seven-time speaker at the CCSU Elect Her Campaign, fielded several prepared questions from participants before opening the floor to answer additional questions from everyone in attendance.
One of the more prominent responses from Stewart was regarding the challenges that women in leadership positions face.
“Waiting for the right time to be able to express myself properly and trying to, unfortunately, swallow a lot of emotion,” Stewart said. “You have to because if you act it out every time somebody says something that upsets you, you probably won’t be elected very long. It’s all about the way you carry yourself.”
Among the other topics discussed by Stewart was the idea that people are quick to discredit other people or perspectives due to personal differences.
“You have to talk with people that don’t see things the way that you see it, and it’s okay,” Stewart said. “We’re in this world right now where we are just so quick to write off anybody who disagrees with us or write off somebody who sees things in a different perspective, and you can’t have a mentality like that if you want to be an effective leader.”
She also talked about the importance and difficulty of remaining unbiased in order to lead in a way that is best for everyone in the community.
“Sometimes when you’re in a leadership position, you have to remove yourself and your personal feelings to do what’s best for the people that you represent, and that can be very, very tough to do,” Stewart said.
Stewart’s presence had a significant impact on those involved in the event. SGA Senator and political science major Amya Smith said she admires Stewart and had been practicing what she would say to her if given the chance.
“I was fangirling, I was practicing my elevator pitch the entire night before,” Smith said. “Me and my friends were in my dorm just going over questions.”
Immediately preceding Stewart was a panel with women leaders in SGA that included Smith, Senator Kadajah Laidley, Senator Gabrielle Cidern and Senator Ciara Logan.
The panel answered questions and gave advice about being a woman in a student leadership position and how to get involved in SGA.
Laidley, a sociology major, said the best advice she would give to other women on campus who want to get involved in SGA is to apply themselves and not be afraid.
“Be confident, put yourself out there, definitely apply for the role. Don’t be scared,” Laidley said.
Smith said when she first joined SGA she was hesitant to speak up, but the other senators helped her feel more comfortable.
“Senator [Shawndia] Jones and Senator Laidley started sitting next to me at senate meetings and encouraging me,” Smith said. “Yeah [Laidley] and Shawndia, they definitely made me a whole lot more comfortable; Senator [Leticia] Castro, yeah.”
Over the past eight years, the CCSU Women’s Center has worked with Running Start and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) to bring the Elect Her Campaign to Central’s campus.
The Elect Her campaign aims to empower and provide training to young women interested in running for student government and political office.
Valeryn Fernandez, a strategic communication major and lead student leadership coordinator for the Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center, said that the planning for the Elect Her Campaign took a few months, and it starts with booking the speakers, followed by reserving a space and setting a date and of course the marketing.
“An event of this magnitude takes around two to three months of planning. It starts by identifying and inviting the speakers to attend,” Fernandez said. “Selecting a date for the event and reserving the space. Then the marketing process starts; we start by creating a variety of different flyers and videos.”
Fernandez, who is also a woman in a student leadership role on campus, encourages other women on campus not to be scared of taking on leadership roles and to network and learn from others.
“My biggest advice would be to not be afraid to put yourself out there. The only way for growth to happen is by getting out of your comfort zone,” Fernandez said. “Try to meet as many people as possible. The first thing that I recommend to anyone that would like to get a leadership role is to find a mentor. Look for a person that you admire in your community and learn from them.”
