On Sunday evening, the Women’s Initiative Fellows arrived in New York City to begin the “Experience America” portion of the...
On Sunday evening, the Women’s Initiative Fellows arrived in New York City to begin the “Experience America” portion of the program. The Fellows were invigorated by the city that never sleeps, as it reminded them of home. Shortly after the Fellows checked into the hotel, they gathered to head out for an informal site seeing trip to Time Square. 
The substance of the New York visit began on Monday with a fantastic presentation by Pam Allyn, Founder and Executive Director of LitWorld, a non-profit literacy program based in New York City. She and her colleagues inspired the Fellows to find and tell their story, and encouraged them to set a vision for their work and life based on their unique core values. Building upon this session, Lynette Lewis, author of Climbing the Ladder in Stilettos, motivated the Fellows to establish a purpose statement which will drive them throughout every aspect of their lives. This session was designed to build the foundation for their personal action plans and to set a compass for their future. Additionally, the Fellows met with a representative from Reuters to discuss the value of an unfettered press. Dana Perino and two of her female colleagues also hosted the Fellows at Fox News to impart secrets of successful women. 
On Tuesday, the Fellows joined Mrs. Laura Bush at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the opening bell and participate in a discussion with leading businesswomen which was moderated by Erin Burnett of CNN. During the discussion, the Wall Street women gave great tips about navigating careers in male dominated arenas. Following on the NYSE visit, Goldman Sachs welcomed the Fellows for a thought leadership forum with Mrs. Bush, followed by a high-powered ladies luncheon at which several leading women addressed common challenges and revealed best practices for overcoming them. As an incredible finish to a heady day, the Fellows were hosted by Diana Taylor at Bloomberg for an opportunity to meet a number of extraordinary women in various industries who provided additional invaluable advice, guidance, and information. As the Amtrak train pulled away from Pennsylvania Station, the Fellows reflected on their unbelievable trip to the Big Apple. The rich content from the visit will remain an inspiration for the Fellows and will propel them to make a greater impact. This post was written by Charity Wallace, Director of the Women’s Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. << Return to the Women’s Initiative Fellowship Program
