The Michigan State University Women’s Leadership Institute welcomed its new and returning student cohort members to campus at its fall orientation on September 25. The group gathered at the TechSmith building in East Lansing for an introduction to this year’s programming and a discussion on building confidence, connection and community led by Michelle Massey.
The afternoon kicked off with a welcome from WLI Director Amanda Guinot Talbot. She praised the group for standing out as outstanding student leaders among a competitive pool of cohort applicants.
“This group is really important- take a look at those around you,” she said. “This is your network, your support system, the group that is going to cheer you up, cheer you on, and empower you. And it all starts here today, when we begin to think about building confidence, connection, and strengthening the community of awesome leaders that we have here.”
Students then went around the room and shared why they chose to apply to the WLI and what they hope to learn and experience. “This is a very diverse group in terms of where we come from, our positionality, how we define ourselves, and what we study,” Guinot Talbot remarked. “We can learn a whole lot from one another.”
Michelle Massey, Vice President of Community Outreach and Customer Operations at TechSmith, led the group in an engaging discussion on overcoming imposter syndrome and feelings of self-doubt, remembering that learning skills and developing confidence is a lifelong project, and the unique perspectives and ideas that women can bring to the table.
“My goal for you today is to help you live with confidence, knowing how to develop that confidence and build stronger connections among each other,” she said. “We’re going to learn how to be better than we might think that we are, because sometimes you’re stronger than you know and braver than you think. And once you realize that, you can do just about anything.”
Massey’s parting advice to the group was to “See yourselves as that CEO that you think you can be, that entrepreneur, that professor, whatever you want to do, and how you are going to change a community.”
“You may choose in life to do something that you haven’t even imagined yet, but let yourself believe and dream,” she continued. “At some point, you’re going to walk into a room, and a little voice will try to tell you, ‘You don’t belong here.’ And this is what we’re going to say to that little voice: ‘A feeling is not a fact. I don’t have to be fearless to belong. I am a leader. I am capable. I can be a work in progress and already be enough.’ Do you believe it?”
The afternoon wrapped with a pair of guest young alumni speakers, Aubree Muethel and Kayla Cameron, who talked about lessons learned so far in their burgeoning professional careers and what they wish they knew about confidence as a young leader. They shared advice from their own experiences in navigating changes in personal and professional goals and reflected on staying true to themselves and their values through career challenges and roadblocks.
This year’s unifying theme guiding the WLI is ‘From Presence to Impact.’ This fall, students will focus on ways to strengthen their voice, presence and confidence as a leader. Group discussions, skill building sessions, and networking events will feature various members of the WLI Executive Board and other professionals from a variety of fields. They will dive into topics like leading through uncertainty, managing conflict, communicating with confidence, and building connections with a support system.
In the spring, the group will narrow in on leadership impact and how to work with others to create meaningful change. There will be two opportunities for the cohort to witness leadership in action in the form of field trips to Stryker in the fall and ITC Holdings next spring.