Mississippi State University’s Shackouls Honors College in partnership with MSU student coordinators have built the Women Empowered Leadership Conference for high school girls across the state to encourage them to pursue higher education, community involvement and leadership positions.
Jamie Aron, sophomore political science major and brainchild of the WeLead conference, said there are statistics that show the existence of a glass ceiling that needs improvement.
“I came to MSU as an undeclared major, and I really wanted young girls to have wide breadth of knowledge about the things they could do. The statistics are really daunting, and so I asked myself how I could make an impact,” Aron said.
The WeLead conference will be held on MSU’s campus in the Shackouls Honors College and Griffis Residence Hall July 14-18. The conference aims to provide learning in communication skills, networking practices and team building tactics, while also exploring roles of leadership that the participants can pursue in their futures.
“The one thing that I wanted is a diverse group of girls — different colors, different religious backgrounds, wealthiest and poor socio-economic backgrounds — I want every kind of girl to come together because it is not just learning, it is also how to deal with people who are different than you. That’s a big part about life. You are ever going to find someone who is just like you,” Aron said. 
Thomas Anderson, associate professor of English, said the one way to recruit young women into leadership positions across various sectors of our society is to introduce them to women already making impacts in their professions.
“We hope that bringing young women who are already leaders in their high schools together for a week to engage accomplished women in leadership positions in our community will reinforce in the WeLead participants their potential to be change agents,” Anderson said. “I think that if the WeLead participants can enter college already aware of the possibilities for leadership and excellence and have developed an expectation for excellence in part because of the WeLead conference, then it will be a success.”
The WeLead conference will feature accomplished professional women speakers from various fields including education, medicine, engineering, history, politics and business.
Nandita Gupta, junior electrical engineering major and coordinator of the WeLead conference, said she strongly supports the cause of women empowerment and leadership, and this conference will be an opportunity to hone leadership skills in high school girls and prepare them for the real world.
“In this era, there is a need for young leaders in all fields — politics, STEM and research, humanities and arts, business and so on. This conference will be extremely beneficial to students, and we all hope that it will help high school students realize their true potential and guide them towards selecting their respective fields,” Gupta said. “We aim to instill confidence and other leadership attributes in these young women who will go to become leaders of tomorrow.”
Aron said she realizes the challenges this conference holds for organizers like her, but she is confident of the message it will send.
 “The one thing I would like the girls to know is they can do whatever they set their mind to. The sky is the limit. No matter what your gender is, no matter what your race or ethnic group or religion is, you can do whatever you want to do,” Aron said.  
For more information on the conference visit weleadmsu.wordpress.com.