Rachel Lubar
On Thursday, Nov. 13, the Beloit community gathered on the fourth floor of the Powerhouse for the Female Leadership in Academic Spaces panel. This panel was presented by Feminist Collective (FemCo), Beloit’s Girls and Women in Science (GWIS), and SEAL. The event was hosted by Ana Tolentino’27 and featured four Beloit staff and faculty members: Dean Gloria Bradley, Director of Career Works Jessica Fox Wilson’98, Associate Dean for Recreation, Wellness and Engagement Tara Fox, and Professor Sylvia López.
The panelists each shared their own stories as women in leadership positions. Gloria Bradley, who is the associate dean of students, co-director of the Weissberg Program in Human Rights and Social Justice, director of the Restorative Justice Campus Initiative, and Title IX coordinator, described how others view women in positions of power: “[they say] women should be communal as leaders, we should nurture people, we should nourish people, we should care for others and we should have less care for ourselves as we are doing that.”
The double standard presented in leadership roles was talked about frequently in the panel. When asked about facing discrimination in the workplace, the panelists gave their own stories, each giving their own accounts of the difficulties that women face daily. Professor Sylvia López and Dr. Bradley spoke of intersectionality and the added pressures of being a woman in an already marginalized body, saying how it is the responsibility of everyone to lift up marginalized voices. These words clearly struck deeply in the crowd, sparking many nods and further questions.
When asked about strategies to cope with the labor of being a woman in leadership, each panelist gave their own helpful tips, recommending boundaries and positive self care habits. It was also clear to each panelist that meaningful relationships are key to staying motivated. All of the panelists described a special relationship, personal or professional, that holds them accountable. Additionally, they discussed mentorship as a useful tool for success, saying that it is a privilege to be able to both be a mentor and mentee, urging the audience to seek out a mentor even if it seems intimidating.
Even though the panel focused a lot on those who aim to keep others down, the panelists called on the audience to lift others up. Professor López made the point, “the more perspectives there are, the better the chances we are going to come up with something that is great and wonderful.” This sentiment of mutual prosperity was shared among panelists, who all agreed that diverse and qualified leaders are integral to success.
Featured image: Rachel Lubar’27
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