Students and mentors: some members and leaders of the first cohort of the NEW Leadership® Program at Saint Mary's. / Photo by Francis Tatem
WATCH: Here’s How the NEW Leadership Program at Saint Mary’s Is Transforming the Role of Women in Politics and Public Service
This summer Saint Mary’s hosted young women from around the San Francisco Bay Area to learn about a career in politics and why it matters. Hear from them in their own words.
What does politics mean in practice? What is public service about? The NEW (New Education for Women's) Leadership® Program at Saint Mary's addresses those questions directly, teaching undergraduate women how to become actively involved in politics, advocacy, and public service.
Started at Rutgers University, NEW Leadership® came to California in 2024 for the first time. In June, 17 students from community colleges and four-year universities from across the San Francisco Bay Area spent one week on the Moraga campus learning about the multiple pathways to political engagement and careers in the fields of politics, government, and public service.
Participating students met California elected officials and women in government at the municipal, county, and state levels. Students also interacted with women leading social and political movements in the Bay Area, learned about the work women do in government and politics behind the scenes, and had the opportunity to share meals and evenings with leaders-in-residence with experience in California politics.
