Percentage Night at MyBurger - 5.21.13

CGL Updates: 2.25.13

 

Hello!  Can you believe it is almost March?!  Time flies when you are busy!  So much has happened with the Center for Girls' Leadership since our last update, so let's get right to it:

 

• In December, the Center for Girls' Leadership celebrated our first birthday!  We have been operating as an official nonprofit for over a year now.  We are living proof that if you dream big and work hard, amazing things can happen.  I want to personally thank everyone who offered their talents, volunteered their time, or donated their treasure to the Center for Girls' Leadership.  Without you, none of this would be possible.
• Real Girls, Real Leadership - Our unique leadership programming for girls was a hit at our pilot program in November, as evidenced from the pictures in this post. We will be hosting our second RGRL at the Laura Jeffrey Academy in April.
• Board of Directors - January brought some changes to our Board of Directors.  We added 3 new board members: Sarah Benson, Cassie Mills, and Abby Kordosky.  Alexandra Campion stepped into the role of Executive Director.  Katie Wertheim and Brittney Clemens were elected President and Vice President, respectively.  We are so excited about what the future holds for the CGL!
• Committees - We have also restructured our committee system.  We now have the following committees: Programming, Development, Marketing, Volunteer, Finance, and Governance.  If you are interested in learning more abou joining a committee, please email us at volunteer@centerforgirlsleadership.org.
• Interns - We have 3 new interns from the University of St. Thomas working with us this semester!  They work directly with our Committee Chairs and Executive Director to develop an internship tailored to their experiences and skills.  Summer internships are available - contact Alex at alexandra@centerforgirlsleadership.org for more information.
• Steps to Success: Women in STEM - This summer, the CGL will host it's second Steps to Success event.  We will be featuring amazing women from the Twin Cities with careers and passions in science, technology, engineering and math. Stay tuned for more details!
• Upcoming Events - In April, we will be hosting our first Center for Girls' Leadership Happy Hour! Grab a friend, family member, or coworker and come learn more about the CGL and ways to get involved. And in June our 2nd Annual Lead Today 5K will be back! Details on both events to follow.

Thank you again for following our progress! This is a really exciting time for the Center for Girls' Leadership and we want you to be a part of it.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you want to get involved!

P.S. Wouldn't it be great if we could offer more scholarships to girls wanting to attend our programs?  Donate to the CGL today and you will have inspired a girl today to lead tomorrow!  Thank you!

 

Photos by Megan Landberg.

Leadership Profile: Irene Fernando

STLF

Irene Fernando
Co-Executive Director at Students Today Leaders Forever

What does Leadership mean to you?
Leadership is a way of life!  I believe leadership shows in the acts and decisions you make when no one is watching and no one is holding you accountable.  For me, leading means being the best version of myself as often as possible, and sharing that with the world as much as possible.

What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?
Excitement to contribute to the world and others.

Tell us about your own leadership journey.  What are you most proud of?
My leadership journey is ongoing.  I am most proud of my relationships - with family, friends, and changemakers.  Life is incredible thanks to the wonderful people I get to hang out with.

Knowing what you know now, would you have done anything different in getting to where you are now?
I would be more confident, sooner.  I would speak up, louder.  I would see the best in people (and tell them), more frequently.

What inspires you?
When people do things that scare them / make them nervous.  It is moving to see people go out on a limb and do something out of their comfort zones.

What are the biggest challenges facing young girls today?
Societal pressures and expectations of what we are "supposed" to do, how we are "supposed" to behave, what we are "supposed" to achieve, and how we are "supposed" to look.

What advice would you give to yourself as a young girl?
Work every single day to love yourself.  Love yourself more today than yesterday.  Be proud of who you are and who you are not.  Take all your weird things and call it your "charm" and be happy to share it with the world.  The more you love yourself, the more you will be able to contribute to the world and the more fun life will be!


Thanks, Irene!


If you or someone you know would like to be featured as a part of our Leadership Profile series, please contact us at Alexandra@centerforgirlsleadership.org.

SMART Goal Setting

Happy New Year!  A new year means new resolutions and we have a few tips to help you reach your goals!  Setting SMART goals will help your 2013 resolutions stick.

SPECIFIC - Goals should include as much detail as possible.  i.e. Watch TV less v. Limit TV to 30 minutes a day.

MEASURABLE - How are you going to know if you reach your goal?  By making your resolution measurable, you build in benchmarks.

ACCOUNTABLE - Tell a friend you trust about your goal so they can help hold you accountable.

REALISTIC - When choosing your resolutions, it is important to be realistic.  Sometimes the biggest victories come from the smallest steps forward.

TIMELY - Give yourself a time-frame to help track your progress.

Most importantly, realize there will be bumps in the road on your journey to reaching your goals.  Failure only happend when you refuse to try again.  Use your resolutions and goals as a challenge to push yourself forward.

So tell us, what are your 2013 resolutions?