- Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
For my STEP Signature Project, I attended the NEW Women’s Leadership Conference. Over the course of a week, I had the opportunity to create a political action project, enhance my communication and networking skills, and create meaningful connections with other women who are passionate about creating positive change for Ohio.
- What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.
Personally speaking, I learned how to create better boundaries for myself so that I am less likely to experience burn out. I am endlessly grateful for all of the people who I met over that week. That being said, I learned that in order for me to be my best and most effective self, I need to spend some time alone at the end of the day. This was a difficult realization to come to because I do not like feeling that I am missing out or letting people down by not attending extra-curricular events. However, I learned that taking the night to go for a walk outside by myself rather than go for ice cream with a large group was exactly what I needed to recharge and be prepared for the next day.
Professionally speaking, I came to a deeper and more wholistic understanding about why creating authentic connections with others, even those I do not agree with, is vitally important. This is important in government particularly because there are countless assumptions made about politicians and their political parties. If elected people leaned into those stereotypes and assumptions and projected them on one another, nothing would ever be done. Rather, if you can build trust and repour, people will be more willing to compromise with you to achieve a goal. I learned that even though it may not seem like it in today’s political climate, I can find something in common with anyone.
- What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.
Firstly, my roommate for the week also needed to take the nights to herself. Being able to have someone who related to what I was feeling was immensely helpful. It helped me to feel seen, not judged, and not “abnormal” for not wanting to be constantly with a group of people. I also connected with someone who I had crossed paths with before, but never really gotten the chance to know. We shared stories, and she showed me true kindness and thoughtfulness that impacted how I view the world of politics. Even since the conference, she has reached out to me and wants to help me succeed professionally.
The activity that helped lead to the transformation I discussed was what was called our Political Action Project. At the beginning of the week, the participants broke into groups and came up with an issue that we see in our community that can be solved with policy. The topic we chose is controversial, but very important to me. Though we all agreed on what we wanted the end goal to be, the way in which we wanted to get there was debated. As an overall passionate person, I became frustrated when it felt like people were not listening to what I had to say and were not taking into consideration how I wanted to solve the problem. Ultimately, we came up with a compromise that worked very well. This was one of the activities that emphasized the importance of putting aside differences to get a job done.
Finally, the biggest aspect of the week that allowed me to undergo a transformation was the fact that it was all done in a non-partisan space. Taking away the pressure of partisanship and political parties allowed me to be able to soak up all of the stories, advice, and wisdom that everyone was sharing. It made me less fearful to approach the speakers and panelists to introduce myself and ask questions. Also, again, it allowed me the opportunity to find something in common with people, regardless of the letter than appears next to their name, and if it is different than mine.
- Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.
This change matters because it enhanced skills that are critical to my success in the future academically, personally, and professionally. No matter what setting I am in, the ability to communicate effectively, problem solve and compromise, and create authentic connections to curate relationships will serve me well. Academically, for the rest of my time at Ohio State, and if I decide to get a graduate degree, being able to meet deadlines and finish assignments thoroughly and well will aid me in getting good grades. Personally, it is important to me to maintain meaningful relationships with people who support me, and who I can support. I do not know exactly what I want to do professionally, but I know that being able to work well together with people regardless of their background will be important to doing the job well. This conference was truly a once in a lifetime experience and I feel honored to have been able to attend. I recommend it highly to any women who are interested in government, advocacy, and policy!
