After spending a quick 24 hours in beautiful Bellingham, Washington I can tell you one thing for sure: Western Washington University has no shortage of stellar women leaders. Talking to the room full of students at Western’s Elect Her—Campus Women Win training, it was clear that Western students are passionate, motivated individuals, eager to make a difference on their campus and beyond.
The day started with a conversation about the lack of women – particularly young women – in elected office nation-wide and around the world. Newly-elected Mayor of Bellingham Kelly Linville took it from there, sharing her experiences running for office and serving as an elected official. Mayor Linville highlighted the fact that you don’t have to love the campaign to be a good elected official – you just have to be committed to serving your community.
An incredible panel of student leaders joined us midday to share their expertise running for student government positions at Western. They emphasized the importance of always keeping in mind the “why’s” and “who’s” of running for office: Why do you want to serve in office, and who in your network and on campus can help you get there.
Our final speaker of the day was our communications expert Cathy Lehman, who recently ran for and won a position as a Bellingham City Council Member. Echoing Mayor Linville and the student panel’s theme, Council Member Lehman stressed the importance of being genuine and remembering why you want to run for office in crafting and delivering your message.
In the final exercise of the day, freshman Kaylee Galloway (who, I’m proud to say is an alum of Running Start’s Young Women’s Political Leadership Program) won Western’s campaign simulation, earning the highest number of votes for her stump speech.
It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of Western’s 2012 Elect Her training. After last year’s Elect Her training, the percentage of women in student government at Western skyrocketed from 14% to 57% so I can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store for these impressive women leaders.
This Elect Her–Campus Women Win training is sponsored by the Mooneen Lecce Giving Circle.
This post was written by Running Start Program Director Allison Dunatchik.
AAUW Dialog 
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