Dear UMBrella Group,

When I applied to the UMBrella scholarship to attend the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders, I was very optimistic to meet women leaders from around the country and from various college campuses. However, my experience at the conference was so much more than just meeting these amazing leaders.

The first day of the conference, we had an opening ceremony, and from the ceremony, we realized how empowering it is to have so many women from so many different backgrounds; there were women from different states and countries that brought so much perspective into our discussion. We talked about all topics, ranging from the political climate to mental health.

Each day, we were given the opportunity to choose various lectures we wanted to attend. One of the most memorable lectures I had the good fortune of attending was based on how to navigate the world being an introvert. This lecture spiked my personal interest, because I consider myself to be an introvert, and many times, when people hear the word “introvert,” they feel that it is a negative trait to possess. However, from this lecture, we learned of the amazing positive qualities that we have the opportunity to showcase to the world and how to best bring about those positive qualities. For example, introverts are able to listen to people, and this is a crucial skill to have when working in the health care field.

The final ceremony was perhaps the most inspiring — from all that we talked about taking action and advocating for what we believe in, the final ceremony inspired us to do exactly that, as we were moved to speak and act so that we can achieve our goals.

My favorite moment at NCCWSL was on Saturday morning. NCCWSL arranged a morning yoga class outside on a field, and it was the most meditative and peaceful experience I have had in a long time. Just being surrounded by the trees, the rising sun, and a field full of students doing yoga with peaceful sounds — I could not think of anywhere else that I would want to be at that moment. I felt at peace.

This experience was truly a blessing, and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing conference that is so inspiring. Most of the conferences I attend give me the opportunity to express myself scientifically, but this conference gave me the chance to learn about and express myself as a woman leader, and that truly empowered me to pursue greater goals in my leadership career. In fact, I plan to start writing a book — which I have wanted to do for years — but I have become so inspired by this experience that I have started planning and outlining what I would like to write.

NCCWSL was truly an eye-opening experience for me, and I hope every woman student leader on this campus considers applying for the scholarship next year to experience this amazing conference!

Thank you,

Sanchari Ghosh
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
Class of 2019