Dayla Williams and Marine Yamada, juniors at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women and the Archer School for Girls, respectively, recently participated in the 2016 Student Leadership Conference hosted by the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia.

 

Dayla and Marine were joined by 160 high school girls from around the world. "We listened to founders of non-profit organizations, political and social activists, voice actors, self-help gurus, and more. Each one of our speakers gave me valuable information on how to maintain a balance between taking care of yourself and others, how to pursue your dreams when those around you are unsupportive, and how to pick yourself up after failing countless times," said Marine.

Making new friends and practicing valuable leadership skills were some of the many takeaways the girls received from this experience. Dayla described the enormous support she felt at the conference: "Everyone was so accepting of who I was, and it was refreshing to be in a place where I wasn't just known by my ethnicity or my height; for once, I was seen as Dayla."

 

Both Dayla and Marine said the conference will have a lasting impact on their growth as leaders. "This conference made me more determined than ever before to make positive change in my school and in the greater community," Marine said.  Dayla agreed: "I am not going to forget the strong and talented girls I had the pleasure to meet. I'm never going to forget my conversations with my squad members, who are some of the brightest people I have ever met. And I'm definitely not going to forget the positive energy I was met with everyday while I was at the conference, and I hope that I can bring that same energy to my school."

 

NCGS strategic partner the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia graciously waived the registration fees and NCGS provided Dayla and Marine with $1,000 scholarships to offset a portion of the travel costs.