Saint Mary's Shapes Global Leaders

This summer, Saint Mary’s is hosting 20 women from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia for five weeks as part of the Study of the US Institutes' (SUSI) Madeleine K. Albright Young Women Leaders Program. Sponsored by the US Department of State, the academic program is organized as part of the Women's Global Leadership Consortium, led by the University of Kansas. Other members of the collective include the University of Kansas, Green River College, the University of Delaware, and Saint Mary’s College. The program was recently renamed to honor the late Madam Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and her mission to empower women with leadership skills to engage in meaningful change around the world.

SUSI supports undergraduate women from around the world as they improve their leadership skills, learn about the United States, and build lasting connections with their American peers. Opportunities during the five-week academic program include community engagement with local organizations, trips to Chicago, Detroit, and Washington D.C., and enjoying the hospitality of local host families. By the program’s completion, student participants identify an issue affecting women, girls, or LGBTQ+ people in their communities and create an actionable plan to address the issue.

Saint Mary’s students participate in the program for course credit. More importantly, students meet women from around the globe and earn a broader perspective of the world. Madison Suseland ’23, Chinaza Ezechikamnayo ’26, Zahraa Mozan ’24, and Sophie Johnson ’25 are the Saint Mary’s student program coordinators assisting with academic curriculum, logistical preparation, and social media management while learning alongside other participants. Suseland says she is “looking forward to the opportunity to meet women from around the world and share the experience of cultivating intercultural communities, while building valuable leadership skills and having some fun along the way!” Ezechikamnayo added that she “intends to use the skill sets which I will acquire from this program and Saint Mary's College…to partner with the Abia State Government and create more platforms for the intellectual development of girls in my hometown, Umuahia, Nigeria.” Student participants gain a wide range of skills and experiences that will serve them in their future.

Coursework for the Albright Young Women Leaders Program at Saint Mary's College is led by Saint Mary’s faculty, including Emily Rose McManus, Cibele Webb, and Marc Belanger. Belanger has been involved in the program for 10 years and remains in contact with many past participants. Belanger says “the biggest impact is created by the opportunity to learn about the struggle for women's empowerment from their fellow participants through the classroom and community engagement. They go back to their countries with a deeper understanding of their own leadership qualities and style as well as the chance to think concretely about applying those abilities in their own communities. The sense of solidarity they build with each other is lifelong, as well as [the connection they build] to Saint Mary's College. ‘Once a Belle, always a Belle’ becomes their own mantra.” McManus added that “participants leave with a deepened commitment to addressing gender inequality in their communities and become part of a global network of program alumni who will support them in this work.” This network of women continues to grow each year.

The program’s impact is not felt by participants alone. Belanger adds that “faculty, staff, and community members also come away with a deeper understanding of the complexity of being a woman in the Middle East and North Africa. Stereotypes and cliches are replaced by [the reality of these] vivid, amazing human beings. It is the most extraordinary experience of my academic career,” he said.

In many ways, the transformative program represents the core of what Saint Mary's College does—helping women recognize their power to make positive change in society.

July 6, 2023