Annual Women in Leadership Breakfast Strengthens Community Relationships

The Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) Women in Leadership program is committed to empowering young women to set ambitious goals and achieve their highest potential. Aligned with that commitment, this year’s Women in Leadership Breakfast was held at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) with the theme “Educate. Empower. Inspire.”

“There’s this societal norm of the ‘mean girl’ and we’ve thrown that out the window,” explained Dr. Kelley Capper, Principal at Indian Hills Middle School and the founder of SMSD’s Women in Leadership. “That’s not who we are as young women, and [we’re] teaching each other to pull up a chair, listen to each other, work together, and collaborate so everyone is heard and everyone is valued.”
 

Dr. Capper launched “Women in Leadership” during the 2019-2020 school year to encourage young women to support one another and build confidence. Since its inception, the program has grown from about 50 students to more than 400
 

The district-wide program is open to all students starting their sophomore year. Members attend monthly meetings, field trips, and guest speakers to learn professional skills that transcend the classroom, like how to create a resume, or craft an elevator pitch.
 

“We learned how to write more formal emails, which really, I loved that part of it because I had no clue how to write an email to a professional,” explained Shawnee Mission West Senior, Caroline Urio. “That was a really great part of it. And then, constantly emailing and trying to meet up with our mentors- it was a lot of reaching out and when I got those responses, it was really gratifying."

Hear more from Caroline and Dr. Capper on Episode 13 of the SMSD's podcast, Shawnee Mission Mic'd Up.

Each student in the program is also paired with a woman in the community who pursued a career path of interest to the student who serves as a mentor throughout the year. The annual breakfast is the program’s signature event celebrating the SMSD seniors and their mentors.
 

“They all come together at this breakfast as a culminating event where they can learn from one another but also learn from other mentors and other students in the district and it’s a great networking opportunity for our students and their mentors,” said Dr. Capper.

More than 300 seniors and their mentors attended this year’s event. Guests heard from a panel of inspiring women, including Dr. Judy Korb, the interim president for JCCC, who reinforced Dr. Capper’s original mission to bring women together. 
 

“It is critical, as a leader, to build a very tight support network,” said Dr. Korb. “Make sure you don’t try to go it alone. It’s too hard to go it alone.” 
 

Shawnee Mission East Senior Gia Tuso joined Women in Leadership during her junior year and decided to participate again because of the community it created. 

“I just loved that I was able to connect with other people at my school but also get more in touch with the career I wanted to go into,” explained Tuso. “Being able to connect with somebody who's already in the field that I'm going into has been a great thing for me- to be able to explore a little bit more and get to know the field that I'm going into before I even step foot in college.”

And while the program was designed to uplift SMSD’s students, the mentors also benefit from the inspiration, empowerment, and education that Women in Leadership provides. 

I love inspiring the young. I love seeing people just searching for their dreams and empowering them,” explained Shannon DeSalvo, Tuso’s mentor and a local Physical Therapist. “I just love this opportunity. I was so inspired today. I'm very excited to be a part of something that's encouraging young women to try things that are hard. Don't give up. Reinvent Yourself. I just love being part of it.” 
 

The strength of the community partnerships can be attributed, in large part, to collaboration with the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation. The Foundation facilitates mentor relationships as an integral part of the Real World Learning initiative.