Strong Women, Strong Leaders: Row New York’s Trip to the Girls Leadership Day Conference

The 11th annual Girls Leadership Day was hosted by The New York Women’s Foundation at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York on Saturday, November 16th. It was a daylong conference that consisted of a breakfast, meet and greet, an icebreaker, workshops, lunch and entertainment to top off the event.

Event host and poet Gloria Jassie welcomed all of the participants and performed a poem about what it means to be rich. The Row New York girls were among the many girls encouraged by Jassie’s mindful and inspirational poem.

After the warm welcome, the groups of girls separated and participated in workshops that were assigned to them. These workshops included important topics such as, “Grown up Budget for an Independent Woman”, “Your Voice: Navigating Healthy Relationships”, “Speak up, Stand up: Push Back Against Bullying and Peer Pressure” and “Authentically You”, among many others.

Notably, the career mentoring section was a highlight for the Row New York crew. Girls were given the opportunity to sit down with three different professional women for ten minutes and ask them career questions. There were successful women from all walks of life—lawyers, doctors, writers, teachers, and founders of NGO’s, to name a few! It was an important part of the conference because the Row New York girls came face-to-face with these role models and leaders and spoke to them about their unique paths to success.

One speaker noted a phenomenon that is especially meaningful to Row New York athletes. She highlighted the importance of being a combination of all of our hobbies and passions—no one aspect defines a person, but rather all aspects are unique and essential to each individual’s success and pursuits. For Row New York novice Stacey Townsend, this message’s meaning stood out significantly, “It gave me hope, that’s what I go by now.” Balancing rigorous academics and athletics is an essential aspect of the Row New York program, and for our athletes, it’s all in a day’s work.

Thanks to the New York Women’s Foundation for providing this inspiring day to the Row New York girls and other girls and young women from across New York City.

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