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Two East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania students were selected to attend a program which seeks to help prepare and empower young women to be future leaders in the political process. The students attended the National Education for Women’s (NEW) Leadership Pennsylvania™ institute at the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics at Chatham University in Pittsburgh from June 3–7. The NEW Leadership program is a six-day, concentrated curriculum for female students attending colleges and universities throughout Pennsylvania. Participants learned about networking, public speaking, the need for women’s leadership in the political process and participated in skills-building workshops.

The ESU students chosen to attend were Rebecca Aduclasse and Khaleah Edwards, both juniors majoring in political science from Philadelphia. This year, 46 students were selected to attend from 25 colleges and universities across Pennsylvania. Kimberly S. Adams, Ph.D., professor of political science, recruited the students and serves as a faculty liaison between ESU and the NEW Leadership Institute. “I am amazed at how this program continues to educate and inspire young women to be active participants in the political process. It is an incredible opportunity for our students,” Dr. Adams said.

Participants spent a day touring the Capitol in Harrisburg and heard from legislators, including Rep. Morgan Cephas, Rep. Summer Lee, Rep. Wendi Thomas, Rep. Margo Davidson, Rep. Martina White, Rep. Dan Frankel and Senator Jay Costa on the need for female representation and the significant impact that women make on public policy. Their Harrisburg visit included a ‘judicial power hour’ with Supreme Court Justice Debra Todd and Superior Court Judges Anne Lazarus and Carolyn Nichols. The students attended a reception at the Governor’s Residence, where a keynote address was delivered by Randi Teplitz from the PA Commission for Women. The Practitioners-in-Residence for the 2019 New Leadership program were former PA State Representative Becky Corbin and Western Pennsylvania Director of PennEnviroment, Ashleigh Deemer.

The ESU Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, and the interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences funded the students’ participation. To date, 21 ESU students have participated in the NEW Leadership Program.

For more information about the NEW Leadership Program contact Adams at 570-422-3924 or by email at ksadams@esu.edu, or visit www.esu.edu/pols.