Getting Ready to Campaign in 3 Easy Steps

Nily Rozic was asked multiple times to run for office before she seriously considered it. The 26-year-old New York state assemblywoman-elect admits she was asked “over and over” to run, which is not an unusual thing to hear from female candidates.

AAUW, Running Start, and She Should Run recently held a conference call for alumnae of Elect Her–Campus Women Win — a program that trains college women to run for student government — with the goal of encouraging these remarkable young women to run for public office. The call, which targeted students who have been through Elect Her and held student leadership positions, aimed to get these women to think about running for office after college and to share the steps they can be taking now to prepare for a career in politics. As one of the speakers on the call, Rozic shared her own story, which touched on all of the tips that AAUW, Running Start, and She Should Run typically share with attendees.

1. Go Local

Rozic knew she wanted to do something to give back to the neighborhood where she grew up, so she made sure to take leadership roles in her community. Rozic first advises becoming a leader in your own community, whatever role it may be. Ramping up your involvement in things you already care about is a great way to build leadership skills that will help you eventually run for office.

2. Start Now

Rozic was not afraid of jumping into the ring at a young age, and she encouraged the Elect Her alums to do the same. “You’ve just got to start,” she said, and you’ll discover that there are people who are ready to jump in and support you. Rozic said several political trainings were invaluable to her, especially in finding and developing mentors. For a list of trainings across the country, visit the Center for American Women in Politics.

3. Try Volunteering

A third way for young women to take their political experience to the next level is by taking a paid, intern, or volunteer position for a political campaign or in a current political leader’s office. Rozic landed her first government job working for a member of the New York State Assembly, where she got a feel for what government was like and eventually worked her way up to chief of staff. There are great opportunities at the local, state, and federal levels. For instance, try volunteering on a campaign — you can reach out to the local Republican or Democratic parties to find out more about the candidates. Or you can contact a local or state elected official to find out about opportunities. Each U.S. congressional office manages its own internship program, so look on your representatives’ websites to find out more. Nonprofits also organize internships with members of Congress through programs like Running Start’s Star Fellowship Program.

Ultimately, Rozic urges young women to embrace their youth when running for office. Our elected officials need to be representative of all types of people, and being young is not a disadvantage: “You’re ahead of the curve!”

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Meet Helen Gebresillassie: Legal Advocate and Adviser

In the nine months that I’ve spent working with AAUW fellows, the one thing that stands out in my mind is the passion each woman has for her field of study. AAUW International Fellows also have an unwavering passion for their home countries and a desire to improve their own education, skills, and knowledge so that they’re well-prepared to give back to their communities.

Helen Gebresillassie, who is from Ethiopia, received a 2006–07 International Fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in law at Columbia University. She felt lucky to have had the opportunity to study in the United States, particularly because she came from a country where most women, especially in rural areas, have few educational opportunities.

Much of Gebresillassie’s passion for law and education originates from her experiences in Ethiopia. Before receiving her fellowship, she worked as a legal adviser for the Forum on Street Children in Ethiopia (now called the Forum for Sustainable Child Empowerment), where she advocated for victims of sexual abuse and trafficking. She also served as the policy and advocacy adviser for CARE Ethiopia and as a legal extern for the United Nations.

In the recent Economist article “Maid in Ethiopia,” Gebresillassie discusses the state of economic and education inequity in her home country, particularly as it relates to women who work as maids. She says that these women are particularly vulnerable to trafficking and violence. She says that young women line up to get their passports to work in other countries but are unaware of the harsh reality they will face once they arrive. Ultimately, these women focus on the financial prospects they will gain and accept the risk, and many women feel as though they have no other options. Gebresillassie says she was honored to be interviewed by the Economist, but she hopes “to see a focus on action rather than the problem.” For this reason, Gebresillassie is committed to gaining expertise in a variety of specializations in law here in the United States.

For nearly five years, she has taught at Stony Brook University in New York, where she focuses on law and society. There, she has been able to engage students in discussions of social justice issues. Not only has she been able to enlighten her students about justice globally, but she also has learned more about the U.S. legal system. We are also proud to announce that she recently passed the New York bar examination!

“Diversifying my expertise will allow me to be more helpful in the country’s economic development agenda,” she says. This will no doubt help inform her work in variety of other human rights improvements in Ethiopia, the United States, and beyond.

Gebresillassie has an overwhelming desire to advance her homeland. She wants to improve economic equity and help empower marginalized groups. Her passion is one that I don’t witness often as a student in America, even in the nation’s capital.

This post was written by AAUW Fellowships and Grants Intern Elyssa Shildneck.

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Meet Erika Lieberman: Composer and Musician

The summer blockbuster movie season has begun! I’ve always loved movies, and I especially appreciate how music intertwines with story lines and contributes to the emotion and feel of a film. I love it when I leave a movie still humming the tunes to the songs played in the background, like the scores of the Star Wars or Harry Potter series.

AAUW has helped fund the graduate education of a woman who creates just such musical art. Erika Lieberman, a 2005–06 AAUW Career Development Grantee, is a composer for movie shorts, films, and video games.

The daughter of a writer-director, Lieberman has always been interested in music. However, it wasn’t until just before her 30th birthday that she decided to make a career change from publishing. She figured that “if you’re going to struggle, it may as well be for something you love!” The AAUW grant allowed her to devote both her emotional energy and her time to her degree.

Lieberman’s work is distinctive in the composing world thanks to her use of exotic instruments and folk styles. She performs with a variety of unique instruments, such as the sarod, found in the Middle East and Central Asia; the oud of North Africa; the tabla, played in India; the uilleann pipes of Ireland; the English concertina; and the hammered dulcimer, found in Europe and Asia. Her unique sound fits nearly any project, from video games to period films. Christy Carew, president of Forest House Music, said in an e-mail that Lieberman is a “unique composer with a style that is wholly her own … one of the new film scoring voices to keep your eye and ears on.”

A sampling of Lieberman’s work — including songs like “Forest Journey,” “Vampire Castle,” and “The Sunchasers” — can be heard online. I strongly encourage you to listen to her songs. I found myself mesmerized by the unique tones and instruments. Lieberman’s work for the short film That’s My Majesty was performed live at Lincoln Center in New York City. Her portfolio includes a multitude of films, television shows, and games. You may also have caught her music in films and shows such as Suburban Madness; Till Death Do Us Part, starring John Waters; and Guiana 1838.

Now Lieberman has shifted her focus to a new genre — video games. As indie films presented fewer opportunities, she was attracted to the video game industry’s fast-growing nature. She founded her own game-music company, Sonic Legends. Lieberman is exuberantly proud of the work they are doing and hopes to see her company become the go-to music licensing resource for indie video game developers. Lieberman does not downplay the hard work that has gone into this company. “Running your own company is really hard and really scary,” she says. But reading articles about Sonic Legends’ success or the positive experiences composers have had when working with her makes it clear that the experience has been wholly worthwhile.

Be sure to keep an eye out for her name in movie or video game credits!

This post was written by AAUW Fellowships and Grants Intern Elyssa Shildneck.

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Announcing the AAUW Art Contest Winners

Thank you so much to everyone who took part in the 2012 AAUW Art Contest. From the artists who submitted their work to the members who took the time to vote for their favorite pieces to the judges who helped select the winners, your participation made this year’s contest a tremendous success. Final selection was no easy task, given all of the fantastic entries from AAUW members.

Congratulations to all of our winners! Their entries will be featured on a collection of note cards that will be sent this spring to all AAUW members. If you’re not a member yet, now is a great time to join.

Now, without further ado, here are the winners of our 2012 Art Contest (in no particular order):

Crimson Surprise by Sharon Pottebaum, AAUW Milwaukee West Suburban (WI) Branch

What Mouse? by Paula Schroeder, AAUW Atascadero (CA) Branch

Yellow Window by Phillip A. Wright, AAUW Healdsburg (CA) Branch

Walking for Water by Faith P. Weldon, AAUW Schenectady (NY) Branch

Thomas by Margaret M. Mathews, AAUW Houston Peach (GA) Branch

Spirit Mountain by Pat Cairns, AAUW Atascadero (CA) Branch

We would also like to congratulate the winner of our first-ever AAUW Thumbs-up Award, whose entry in the 2012 AAUW Art Contest received the most “likes” on our Facebook page:

My Mother’s Roses by Leslie King, AAUW Wytheville (VA) Branch

And finally, a special congratulations goes to Julia Kwon, who won another inaugural contest. Kwon’s beautiful oil painting Shattering the Glass Ceiling was selected as the winning entry for the AAUW Student Poster Contest and was featured at our National Museum of Women in the Arts event earlier this month.

Kwon, a senior studying studio art at Georgetown University, said of her entry, “This painting was directly inspired by the sociological concept called the glass ceiling, an unacknowledged barrier that most women encounter when it comes to upward mobility within an organization. The multiple lines and marks symbolize the cracking of the glass ceiling as well as the consistent efforts of women in politics and art to shatter the glass ceiling.”

A 24-by-36-inch poster of Kwon’s painting is available for $12. Call 800/326-2289 (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. EDT) to order yours. Quantities are limited.

Congratulations to all of our artists on their amazing work.

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AAUW Celebrates Women’s Hall of Fame Inductees

“No botox, no detox. My name is Loretta Ford, and I approve this message.”

So ended the speech of 91-year-old Ford as she accepted her induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame along with 10 others last weekend in Seneca Falls, New York.

The tone of her remarks was unexpected, yet they captured the essence of the ceremony — the spirit, excitement, and passion of women who have changed the world and aren’t done yet.

Sitting in a room with these women who have shaped — indeed, are shaping — major areas of our lives was enthralling, and AAUW was proud to be there to celebrate the role four of them have played in our mission.

First, there was Helen Murray Free, a national member of AAUW who was honored for her contributions to medicine. Echoing many of the honorees’ sentiments, Free said she hadn’t set out to change people’s lives — it was a serendipitous accident.

“In September 1941, I was going to the College of Wooster to be a Latin and English teacher. Then Pearl Harbor happened in December, and the fellas all left to join the Navy and the Air Force,” Free said. “One night, the house mother came in and said, ‘Helen, you’re taking chemistry and getting good grades … why don’t you switch?’ And I just said OK. I fell in love with chemistry, and it was wonderful.”

Fast forward six years later, and Free had a degree chemistry, a job at Miles Laboratories, and a husband who would become her partner in changing lives. The Frees soon became a powerhouse in medical diagnostics — their research led to the first dip-and-read diagnostic test strips.

And that was just one inspiring AAUW story.

Donna Shalala, who under President Bill Clinton became the longest-serving U.S. secretary of health and human services, was also inducted. Early in her career, AAUW gave her a young scholar award.

“It was critical money and a critical award and a critical trajectory,” Shalala remembered. “I loved the fact that they intervened in my career, and it made a real difference. AAUW helped me network. I met amazing people as a result.”

Thrillingly, Lilly Ledbetter was also among the inductees. A close friend to AAUW and a newly published author, Ledbetter has been a crucial figure in the fair pay campaign, from her Supreme Court case to the bill named in her honor to the lingering Paycheck Fairness Act.

“When I set out in my career in 1979, it wasn’t part of my grand plan to someday have my name in the Supreme Court or on an act of Congress. I simply wanted to work hard and support my family. The rest, I believed, would take care of itself,” she said during her acceptance speech.

Fellow inductee Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), a critical ally to Ledbetter and AAUW in the fair pay struggle, spoke to me before the ceremony about change-making women.

“It’s a great honor to be picked and join [more than] 240 other women who made a difference in science, politics, civil rights, medicine,” she said. “Every one lived in their time and seized the power that is now. When Rosa Parks sat down, the whole world stood up. It’s carpe diem.”

Mikulski believes AAUW plays an important role in making that happen. “Young people need someone to believe in them,” she said. “Some people have family that will believe in them. Not everyone has that supportive adult that tells you, ‘You can do it, and I can help you.’ It makes a difference to do that in young people’s lives. AAUW today is making that difference.”

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Can a 23 Year-Old-Change the World?

I help AAUW’s volunteer leaders grow their membership in their local communities. Sharing trend information about potential members is critical to the success of their recruitment and retention efforts.

I recently gave a presentation at the AAUW of New York State Summer Leadership Conference that a colleague had previously given at another event. Giving this presentation was tricky, because I had not seen the original workshop entitled “What Makes Women Decide to Join or Stay in an Organization Today?” That presentation included data from Mobilize.org about engaging young women — so-called millennials — and what AAUW members and nonmembers were looking for when joining and staying in organizations. As I prepared my presentation, I included elements from that presentation and wanted to incorporate information I recently learned from the National Council on Aging and author Rosetta Thurman, but I needed to tie it all back to AAUW somehow.

Then I remembered Marion Talbot, (July 31, 1858–October 20, 1948) one of AAUW’s founders. Talbot was just 23 when she co-founded AAUW’s predecessor, the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA), in 1881 and 37 when she became ACA’s first president. At that time, she would have been considered middle aged, but by today’s standards, she would have been a millennial.

Every woman who has or will attend a two- or four-year college or university is a testament to the ideas of this young woman, who had a passion for education and encouraging other women to achieve the same.

What should volunteer leaders remember when expanding AAUW’s member base in their communities?

1. Each of us holds the success of the AAUW community in our own hands.
2. All generations have something to teach and something to learn.
3. There are 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day, and they want to get involved in their communities.
4. Providing information and advice based on experiences helps younger leaders be more effective.
5. Share power. Recognize that newer generations will be leading social change in the future.

Happy Birthday, Marion, and thank you!

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There’s No Crying — or Women — in Baseball?

Throughout my childhood, whenever anyone would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would respond, “A professional baseball player.” My dad shared his love of baseball with me and taught me all about the game. When it was time to sign up for little league, I was devastated to find out I had to play softball; girls were not allowed to play baseball. But my hopes were lifted when I saw A League of Their Own. It was the first glimmer of hope that maybe I could become a professional baseball player. Obviously, I’ve moved on to other things, but I’m still a baseball fanatic. And young girls who have a similar dream now have a better role model than Tom Hanks’ character, who famously said, “There’s no crying in baseball.”

Last month during spring training, Justine Siegal became the first woman to pitch batting practice to a major league team. She pitched to a few batters from the Cleveland Indians, her hometown team, and the Oakland Athletics a few days later. This isn’t the first time Siegal has paved the way for women in baseball — she was the first woman coach of a professional baseball team, the Brockton Rox. Like me, as a child Siegal used to lay awake at night dreaming of a career as a professional baseball player. Even though she claims she gave up on that dream when she was 15, she has gotten a taste of what might have been and is paving the way for women in baseball through her organization Baseball for All.

Mitchell with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig after the game where she struck them both out.

Siegal may have been the first woman to pitch batting practice, but she was not the first female pitcher in professional baseball. In 1931, 17-year-old Jackie Mitchell signed with the Chattanooga Lookouts, a minor league team. Desperate for an “edge” to increase ticket sales, the manager opted to bill his team as the only club to feature a woman on the mound. On April 2, 1931, the New York Yankees stopped in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on the way home from spring training for a game against the Lookouts. Mitchell wasn’t slated to start the game, but she was brought in just in time to face the legendary Babe Ruth. The first pitch was called a ball, but the next three were called strikes, and he was out. After finishing off Ruth with her fierce curveball, Lou Gehrig was next up, and she struck him out too. Mitchell became famous for retiring two of baseball’s greatest hitters, but unfortunately her impressive pitching didn’t open up doors for more women in the sport. Following her stellar performance, the then-commissioner of baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, had her contract voided and barred women from baseball, claiming that the sport was “too strenuous” for women.

As a lover of America’s favorite pastime, I look forward to the day when I can buy my future daughter her first baseball glove and teach her how to play catch, just like my dad did with me. Hopefully by the time she is ready to play little league, she will be able to play baseball alongside the boys.

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Tech Savvy Brings STEM to Girls in Buffalo

As a chemical engineer, Tamara Brown knows how important it is that young girls be exposed to careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. To achieve this goal, the two-time president of the AAUW Buffalo (NY) Branch founded Tech Savvy. Now in its sixth year, Tech Savvy is a one-day conference designed to introduce girls in grades six through nine to the endless opportunities presented by STEM careers. The event is held at the University at Buffalo and has a lasting impact on the girls and the community.

Off to a good start: Tech Savvy students pause for pictures during breakfast before heading off to morning workshops.

Each year, approximately 475 girls and 250 parents and teachers take part in 20 different workshops that demonstrate how exciting science and technology can be when applied to subjects that the girls enjoy. For example, the girls can take part in Candyland, a workshop that introduces the principles of chemical reactions while allowing them to make their own candy.

Brown stresses that the aim of the program is to break down stereotypes that dictate which careers a girl should pursue and encourage freedom of choice. This is clearly demonstrated in the theme for this year’s conference: Tech Savvy Girls without Limits … Anything! Anywhere! Many reports, including AAUW’s Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, have found that there is little to no disparity between boys and girls in terms of math and science skills; however, girls begin to lose confidence in their own intelligence during their middle school years, and this is the age group that Tech Savvy specifically targets.

Ready to go to college: Jovial students pose with their teacher on the steps outside of the College Corner area.

The conference also brings together girls from many different walks of life. Girls from the suburbs mix with girls from inner-city schools while bonding over science experiments. Brown believes that “it is a tremendous thing to not only bring these girls to Tech Savvy, but sometimes it’s the first time some of them have even been in a college environment.” This can be a determining factor in the girls’ educations. “One of the students wrote on her evaluation, ‘Now I want to go to college!’ with a huge exclamation mark, and I still have that. I thought that was so touching because that’s really why we do the conference.”

The Tech Savvy conferences are not just for kids. Parents and teachers take part in their own workshops, which focus on ways to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM. This year, adults will have the opportunity to take part in a workshop emphasizing the development of spatial awareness — a skill set that is commonly associated with boys. Brown hopes that this will also help to end the gender stereotypes that are so often enforced in the home and the narrow mindsets that contribute to barriers for girls.

This year’s Tech Savvy is open for registration until February 23 and will take place on March 12.

To find STEM activities you can do at home or with kids in your community, visit www.howtosmile.org. Find out more about AAUW’s efforts around STEM at www.aauw.org/ngcp.

This post was written by STEM Programs Intern Gabryel Obedoza.

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New York City Fights Street Harassment

After meeting and corresponding with AAUW members across the country, I know they care deeply about ending the sexual harassment that occurs not only in workplaces and schools but also in public spaces. Yesterday, the New York City Council showed that they care about this issue, too. They held the first-ever hearing on sexual harassment that happens in public spaces, which is termed street harassment. Because I’ve written a book about this topic, the council asked me to testify at the hearing. More than 200 media outlets have picked up the story, and I am hopeful that other cities will follow New York’s lead and take this issue seriously. Women and girls deserve the right to be in public spaces without suffering harassment and threats to their safety.

Read my testimony, or watch a video from the hearing below.

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