The invitation to apply to PLEN’s Women & Policy in the Global Community seminar found me on a slow day at my work study mid-semester. I had never heard of PLEN before, but a week-long seminar in the capital city seemed like an invaluable experience that I just could not pass up. I was fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship, sponsored by Ms. Michele Blair, to help with the cost of attendance, which made it even harder to miss this amazing event. The PLEN seminar proved to be very much worth the investment putting me in contact with people that I never would have met otherwise and who have greatly shaped my path towards my future career.
The Women & Policy in the Global Community seminar had an incredible line up of dynamic speakers that helped me navigate my questions about possibly finding a career in policy. As an Environmental Science major, I have always questioned whether a career in politics or research would be most effective for change. While I found through this seminar that being a politician was not for me, I was happy to be introduced to the world of small non-governmental organizations through my site visits. These, I must say, were my favorite part of the week.
I did not have many expectations for this conference, only wanting to be immersed in an environment of ambitious women. I found myself being taken aback multiple times during the seminar with the caliber of young leaders I had the pleasure of learning with for the week. If I had any major takeaways from this seminar, is that you will never be bored if you surround yourself with inspiring people. I am deeply grateful to PLEN for bringing together such an amazing group of women, and hope that many more women will share in this productive and energizing event!
Marissa Richerson attended the 2015 Women in Global Policy seminar as a sophomore at Hollins University. She received a scholarship sponsored by TE Connectivity to attend this seminar.