Lincoln Academy participants in the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute Fall Forum are, from left: Carmella Fraser, Katelyn Prior, Ayesha Giberson, Lorelei Zech, Trinity Delaney, business leader Brynne Whitney, Caroline Matthews, Alison Roberts, Jay Ebanks, Anna Lupien, Mercy Buchwalder, Khloe Luce, Samaya League, and Willow Tenney

Fourteen Lincoln Academy students attended the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute  (OSWLI) Fall Forum last Thursday at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. OSWLI strives to develop leadership skills in high school aged females by encouraging them to establish their own personal values, voice, and vision. The Fall Forum gathered over 600 high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from across the state of Maine to participate in breakout sessions, make connections with other high school students, and learn from women already in the workforce. Speakers included Senator Snowe herself, American Idol contestant Julia Gagnon, and more.

Students are selected to join the program at the beginning of their sophomore year and, in small groups, are matched with a local professional who will serve as a mentor to the students for the entire three years that they progress through the program. Participants complete activities throughout the school year to develop leadership skills. Sophomores focus on articulating their own personal core values, juniors learn how to find and use their voice, and seniors put it all together by creating a vision for their futures.

Lincoln Academy senior Caroline Matthews has participated in OSWLI since sophomore year, and is looking forward to the graduation ceremony at the end of the program this spring. “This program really empowers me. Being in a room full of women that are there to support and help each other is inspiring to see and gives me the courage to be that for others. They teach me valuable things that I will need in the future and resources that help us launch ourselves in adulthood,” she said.

Junior Khloe Luce attended the Fall Forum for the second time this year. “The Fall Forum was a fantastic event that allowed us leaders to connect with other women across the state and figure out who we are. It is a great way to start the year as you learn what the year objectives and goals are. The environment is very welcoming and there is not a second of the event that goes by that I do not have a smile across my face or feel anything other than blessed to be part of something so beautiful,” she reflected.

Lincoln Academy is one of thirty seven high schools from across the State of Maine that participate in the program.

To learn more about OSWLI or how to participate as a business partner, please visit https://snoweleadershipinstitute.org/.