Empowering females for a better future
On the Sacred Heart Greenwich website there is a motto that reads, “Where young women become global leaders.” As seniors preparing to embark on the final six months of our Sacred Heart experience, we are inclined to apply the meaning of these words to our journey thus far.
The King Street Chronicle editorial board consists of students who have been members of the Sacred Heart community for four, eight, ten, and 15 years. Yet, as founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart St. Madeleine Sophie Barat says, “the duration does not matter.” We all share one thing in common: a foundation that is grounded in an all-female education.
Although our classes only consist of girls with female teachers conducting a majority of them, has our Sacred Heart experience truly enabled us to become “global leaders?” The answer is complicated.
When we no longer hold the cherished status of seniors at this Catholic, all-female institution in a small town in a corner of Connecticut, our college classmates and professors will expose us to different values and ways of thinking. As our senior year accelerates, we begin to question if our school has truly prepared us for becoming female global leaders who are confident in their ideas and opinions. We believe it has.
Messages of women’s empowerment reverberate throughout our school. Teachers and administrators constantly remind us to go forth into our college careers confident in ourselves and reliant on our high school education. Our mentors encourage us to embrace the dynamic roles and leadership positions females can take as involved high school and college students.
As high school students, we are leaders of literary and artistic publications, sports teams, debate teams, student government organizations, and other clubs. An essential facet of our daily routine is recognizing girls in leadership positions that boys often hold at peer institutions.
Thus, Sacred Heart has afforded us with a uniquely empowering experience that allows us to see the value in female leadership and also to hone our own collaboration, leadership, and critical thinking skills. Although the Barat Center openly welcomes male students, Sacred Heart’s dedication to an all-female primary and secondary education is the core that encapsulates the school’s true spirit towards the development of female leadership and values.
According to forbes.com, the one hundred most successful women in the world include scholars, politicians, businesswoman, diplomats, heads of state, and economists. When we see other women in power, we are thus inspired and motivated to utilize our invaluable education and soon assert our place among these global bellewethers.
As the leaders within the “newsroom,” we can attest to value of our Sacred Heart education. We proudly take on that role of mentor to younger students with the same attitude that has preceded us. Our daily publication will motivate us to transfer our skills from 1177 King Street to our future colleges across the country and around the world.
– Senior Editorial Board
