It was an honor for me to receive the PLEN scholarship sponsored by Ms. Magdalena Rahn. This scholarship enabled me to attend the PLEN360⁰ Summit, which was a great experience for me. I had attended the Women’s Leadership in Public Policy Seminar this past January and it was a very enriching experience that taught me so much about career opportunities in the public policy arena in Washington, D.C. and in the United States in general. I also had the opportunity to meet and talk with influential women leaders in the D.C. area and also meet inspiring women students from other schools. It is due to my great previous experience with PLEN that I decided to apply for another one of their programs.
The PLEN360⁰ Summit was different in the sense that it was mostly focused on building career leadership skills. As a rising senior, this was a great opportunity for me to learn about the job search process. This Summit included a variety of workshops ranging from resume writing and LinkedIn profile building, to salary negotiation.
The PLEN360⁰ Summit provided me with the necessary skills to start building my career. I am glad I had the chance to ask all of my questions to women who are experts in their fields. It was also great to see that other college women share the same questions and hesitations I had regarding career preparation.
I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to participate in this conference. I am proud to be part of a network of women leaders and bright college women students who are all willing to support one another.
Hanane Lahnaoui attended the 2014 PLEN360 summit during the summer before her senior year at St. Lawrence University. Her scholarship was sponsored by Magdalena Rahn.