Guest blogger: Candice Backus Nine years ago, when I was in 8th grade, the PTSA club I was a member of took a field trip to the State Capitol. At the time, the Capitol was undergoing renovations and the House was meeting in the basement of the west building. After meeting with our district’s representative, […]
Beauty Redefined: The Impact of Body Image on Women’s Confidence and Influence
Drs. Lindsay and Lexie Kite are sisters who jointly earned PhDs in their effort to take back beauty for females everywhere. On January 29, they presented to a packed audience at Utah Valley University as part of the Utah Women and Leadership Project (UWLP) Speaker & Dialogue Series. Here are a few takeaways: Women are more […]
The Confidence Crisis for Women & Girls
Part of the Speaker & Dialogue Series By Dr. Susan R. Madsen Confidence is the ingredient that separates those who imagine from those who accomplish. It’s an important part of personal happiness, success and fulfillment. It is a sense that one can try new things, overcome hurdles, and master hard things. It is self-esteem that says […]
What Women Bring to Leadership
What do women bring to leadership? It’s the topic of extensive research, discussion, and interesting new insights. Studies show that organizational climates benefit from women serving in management and leadership. Organizational climates that are open to and appreciate the benefits of diversity find that employees are happier and more likely to stay. Women tend to […]
Welcome to the Utah Women & Leadership Blog
Too often we as women discredit the incredible value we bring to organizations, projects, families, schools, the workplace, communities, and any endeavor we’re engaged in. In general, good things happen when women get involved. We want to encourage more of it. There are communities to build, new ideas to develop and explore, children to inspire, […]
Female Political Representation in Utah
Utah consistently ranks last in terms of female political representation. Although, female representation in Utah is slowly increasing, there is still work to be done. In early 2014 the Utah Women & Leadership Project released a research brief titled The Status of Utah Women in Politics. The brief outlines research and statistics that shed light […]
More Than Just Passing the Bucks: Enabling a Life of Learning and Serving
I graduated with a PhD in Genetics from Harvard Medical School on my birthday in 2005. My whole family flew into Boston from all over the country to celebrate the milestone toward my goal. Surrounded by my family, good friends, and classmates, I felt like I could explode with happiness. Since then, I have become […]
Thanks to My Father
My father was a teacher and the football coach at the high school I attended. I felt lucky to be in his health class. As a teenager I felt he had the best job a father could have. During high school I struggled with the decision of what course of study to pursue in college. Because of my father’s […]
On Dolphins and Dreams
When I was 10, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I wanted to study whales and swim with dolphins. I knew it would require getting a college degree, and while I did not fully understand what that meant (no one in my family had gone to college), the idea was cemented that college was […]
The Aspirational Value of Saving for College
Think of an important young girl in your life. Maybe she’s your teenage granddaughter, your niece in first grade, or your toddler. No matter her age, chances are she’s already forming her view of college. How do you show her that earning a college degree is an exciting challenge that will add great benefits to […]