Seven Sisters Conference: Student Leaders in Our Nation
By Julia Qian
Student Leaders at Seven Sisters Conference
More than seventy student leaders from the Seven Sister schools—Barnard, Byn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, Vassar and Smith College—came together for the fifth annual student leadership conference in Vassar’s Upstate New York campus. All dressed in purple “7 Sister Schools” shirts, student leaders across the campuses couldn’t hold back the excitement when they gathered at 9:00 on a Saturday morning.
The conference started with keynote speaker, Yuko Takahashi, a professor from Wellesley College, talking about the history and the international influence of the Seven Sister Schools. She told a story of the first female Japanese college student who graduated from Vassar College. It was emphasized that Seven Sisters Schools, not only empowered women in the United States, but also provide education opportunities for women in other countries, as well.
Looking back to the history of the collaboration among Sister Schools, the student leaders were even more determined to further the partnerships. Then, the student leaders from six schools went into workshops targeting inter-collegiate collaborations. Through the discussions, student leaders learned about the different student governing structures, academic curriculums, and campus life across the six campuses.
Afterwards, the students were divided into groups to talk about issues across campuses such as: inclusiveness, campus traditions, and publicities.
The conference passed the new constitution for the Seven Sisters Student Coalition. The conference was closed with the establishment of the leadership structure for the coalition and the news of the spring conference at Barnard College in 2014.#
Julia Qian is a student at Barnard College and a reporter for Education Update.
