AAUW is in the middle of a fantastic semester of campus events. Keep reading to learn about this week’s Elect Her–Campus Women Win events and see this program’s on-the-ground influence on the next generation of woman politicians.
Julie Daniels, political programs manager for the Women’s Campaign Forum, spoke to University of North Carolina, Wilmington, students about their training. Michelle Fuller, a sociology major, said, “I’ve never really thought about politics before, and this training pushed me out of my comfort zone.” Even though public speaking is not her favorite thing to do, the Elect Her–Campus Women Win elevator speech exercise gave Fuller an opportunity to practice public speaking with her peers.
At Idaho State University, Nancy Bocskor, president of the Nancy Bocskor Company, wrote about American Falls, Idaho, Mayor Amy Woodworth-Wynn kicking off the day with an engaging presentation about her path to public service — from high school activities to her current gig as mayor. She offered insight into the intricate balancing act that many women in politics deal with when she spoke about her three sons, whom she described as “smart, interesting, funny, and very patient and understanding when they have to wait while people stop mom to talk about city issues.”
Allison Dunatchik, program director at Running Start, reports on the inspiring and practical encouragement that the speakers at Pacific Lutheran University gave to students. They encouraged the women to blaze their own paths to leadership and not feel constrained to follow the traditional political pipeline that can often dampen women’s political ambitions. They addressed several of the unique challenges women face in the public area, including how to deal with sexist attacks in campaigning and holding office and how to maintain a work-life balance. They encouraged young women to get involved and find the courage to run for office.
The Elect Her event at the University of Texas, Arlington trained women to set big goals when running for office, according to Running Start board member Marjorie Clifton. Reace Alvarenga-Smith, public relations manager for Texas Health Resources, gave an amazing talk about how to give a presentation and market your campaign. The UT alumna held political office at the school when she was a student and gave a great example of how to make your name memorable — during her school campaign, she gave out Reese’s Pieces as a way to get her name into voters’ heads.
Congratulations to the winners of the Elect Her–Campus Women Win campaign simulations: Jasmyn Ferbis, University of North Carolina, Wilmington; Cody Taylor, Idaho State University; and Katie Johnson, Bethany Peter, and Mackenzie Landies, Pacific Lutheran University.
AAUW Dialog 
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