“The experience has made me feel more confident.
Caroline Wator '20
Catherine Priebe ’20 was set on getting a master’s in social work after graduating from Augustana. Then she attended the PLEN–Preparing Women to Lead seminar on Women in Health Policy in Washington, D.C.
For three days, five Augustana
“I got to go to the maternal and child health policy session in the Capitol Building,” Priebe said. “Being able to learn and discuss important issues in that space was electric and a dream of mine.
“Another highlight was attending a session where I learned how to negotiate a salary. As women, we often do not learn how to negotiate a salary, and those skills are a tangible way to narrow the wage gap.”
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Interested in future PLEN seminars?
As a result of attending the PLEN (Public Leadership Education Network) seminar, Priebe plans to go to law school and focus on health policy and women’s health as her career, instead of social work.
Her experience reflects PLEN’s mission for the past 40 years. By introducing college women to role models, career paths and skills trainings before they enter the workforce, PLEN aims to increase the number of women in public policy leadership.
This is the first year Augustana has sent students to a PLEN seminar, and as often is the case, the opportunity originated with an Augustana graduate.
Shelby Olson ’79—senior consultant, executive and career coach with Right Management—is on PLEN’s board. She also is a member of Augustana’s new President’s Advisory Council. At a meeting last spring, she spoke with Laura Kestner-Ricketts, director of Augustana’s CORE career development office, and the wheels were set in motion.
Olson paid for Augustana’s
“It was so delightful to meet the Augustana women,” Olson said. “This was a fantastic opportunity for them to begin building and nurturing a professional network that will help them in their careers going forward. I am proud to say that they represented Augustana very well.”
Joining Priebe at the seminar were Ivana Jureta ’19, Krishna Marme ’20, Josephine Prempeh ’22 and Caroline Wator ’20.
“The experience has made me feel more confident
The Augustana students also enjoyed meeting other women from top schools around the country with life aspirations and career questions similar to their own.
“For many students being a part of PLEN may seem like a once-in-a lifetime opportunity, but really we hope it’s just the first step in a lifetime journey of leadership and public service,” said Kestner-Ricketts.
Original source can be found here.