The Power of Experiential Learning

April 27, 2023 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD

This spring, the Women's Leadership Institute (WLI) created and funded a scholarship to support students endeavoring to study women's leadership through experiential learning—study away (within the US), study abroad (international), or internships. A WLI board member had the vision for this fund and the understanding of student need, and we are excited to announce this was our most popular fund thus far! The quality of the applications was unparalleled. Below are some ways our students will grow experientially and create change in the fight for equity for women leaders. 
  • Promoting leadership equity for black women and diversity in psychology/mental health services as an intern in a children's hospital. 
  • Traveling to the UK to build diplomatic skills to improve opportunities for the welfare of women. 
  • Taking on a leadership role in a study abroad in India, exploring diversity and equity of local women handicraft artisans. 
  • Working alongside women leaders in Huatulco, Mexico, to better understand how women in vulnerable communities acquire leadership in their context. 

To learn more about the efforts of the Women's Leadership Institute and the Experiential Learning Fund, click here. 

About the Author

Amanda Guinot TalbotAmanda Guinot Talbot, PhD

Director, Women’s Leadership Institute
Mason-Soneral Faculty Fellow, Women’s Leadership Institute
Director of Undergraduate Education and Assistant Professor, HDFS

Dr. Amanda Guinot Talbot is the director of undergraduate education and an assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Human Development and Family Studies. As the Women’s Leadership Institute acting director and Mason Soneral faculty fellow Dr. Guinot Talbot works on institute programming, curricula, and student engagement. Dr. Guinot Talbot also is a co-administrator of the financial literacy educational campaigns at MSU (Go for the Green). She received her master’s degree in Family Studies and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Michigan State University.