As a five-year member of the National Coalition of Girls Schools, Saint Ursula Academy is committed to ensuring our students learn from successful women in our community. Within the first few weeks of school, our Freshman Seminar program provided opportunities for students to learn from experts in their fields.
This week’s session featured a panel of female professionals who offered SUA students advice on how to support one another, the value of being unique, and the importance of having a mentor. Featured in this week’s event were:
Stephanie Headley - Vice President, Olay Skin Care - Procter and Gamble
Liza Smitherman - Vice President, Corporate Development - Jostin Construction
Pamela Weber - Senior Vice President, PNC Bank
Dr. Rachel Angel - Founder & CEO, Peerro
Diamond Nichols - Founder, The Dream Center for Girls
Each leader shared details of the journey to their current careers and gave students tips and tricks as they begin thinking about their future after Saint Ursula Academy.
A few pieces of advice given to the students:
- Be your unique self – it might be easier to blend into a group, but then you will never be seen for your individualism and what makes you so special.
- Your journey through college and your career is unlikely to be linear. There will be many twists and turns, and maybe a few U-turns. Embrace each experience and learn from every opportunity.
- Find a mentor. It’s really hard to be what you can’t see.
- Solve problems by looking inward, rather than blaming. Always ask how you could be a better leader to avoid the same or similar problem in the future.
- Saying “I don’t know” exudes confidence. You don’t know everything, so don’t pretend. But be willing to figure it out.
- In everything you do, make good decisions and pursue good information.
By speaking to our students, empowering them to become leaders, answering questions, and providing advice, each member of this panel demonstrated to our students how to be a thinker, leader, nurturer, and prophet as they look into their future.