PLEN has always been a program that Tulane has pushed its women to apply for when their seminar opportunities come around. As a senior in my last semester I was dedicated to coming to DC for PLEN during my undergrad and this was my last chance to do so. I was so excited that they were hosting a non-profits seminar, as that has been a career opportunity that I have been thinking about for a long time now. Getting the scholarship from PLEN to attend helped make it much easier for me to travel from New Orleans to spend such a great weekend learning and developing much needed skills in order to enter the job market. I was thrilled that they found me eligible for this opportunity.
The seminar was especially great for me in my senior year as it really helped to lower my intense stress level about post graduate plans. The women on each panel took a different path in getting where they are today and each stressed so much that the need for a solid career plan was a total myth. As someone who is an avid planner, list maker and overall intense organizer it has been a stressful time for me not to have a career set up for myself. Seeing these women and hearing their step by step stories helped me to see the reality of the situation which is to simply put yourself out there and go with the flow. Things will work themselves out as long as you keep moving forward and connecting with the people around you. The networking and connections I was able to make over my PLEN weekend as well as the knowledge I was able to soak up are invaluable tools that I will carry with me into the job market in just a couple short months. Seeing these successful and empowered women was inspiring for all of us.
As a senior at Tulane University, Susan Herndon received a PLEN scholarship to attend the 2015 Unlocking Nonprofits seminar.