Full scholarships from AAUW national, state, and county chapters covered tuition for leadership conference designed to empower you women to succeed in the workplace and in life

Seven Centenary University students were awarded full scholarships to attend the national leadership conference of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which was held recently at the University of Maryland in College Park. The Centenary scholarship recipients are: Gabriella Filian of Secaucus, Valentina Lopez of Rockaway, Amanda Lorenzo of Bayville, Pamela Mejia-Medina of Rockaway, Sofia Mendez of Weehawken, Kayla Sampong of Riverdale, and Jasmine Sampong of Riverdale. They were each selected to receive a scholarship covering the full cost of conference attendance from the AAUW’s national organization, the New Jersey chapter, or county chapters in Sussex/Warren County or Morris County.

“These young women are all campus leaders at Centenary University,” said Kathleen Greco, community engagement coordinator. “They are on an upward trajectory here on campus, and I’m so excited that through the conference, they have new mentors and role models to show exactly how far they can go in their careers and in life.”

At the conference, the Centenary students interacted with other young women from universities around the nation and attended workshops designed to empower women in their professional and personal lives, covering a wide range of topics including handling stress, personal finance, and fostering healthy relationships.

“The conference was very empowering,” said Mendez, a junior psychology major who serves as vice president of the Centenary Student Government Association and president of the LatinX Club. A first-year leader and resident assistant, she is also a member of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Leaders in Service, the women’s basketball team, and the University’s first women’s flag football team, which competed last season as a club sport.

Despite her leadership experience, Mendez knows that she will face challenges as a woman in the workplace: “The elephant in the room is always that we’re women in America. The deficit we face compared to men is unfair and we’re not necessarily equal. For me, the conference was a moment of unity. I feel more confident to advocate for myself and other women.”

Like Mendez, Kayla Sampong is a campus leader. A member of the women’s basketball team, the junior finance major heads up the Student Government Association’s diversity and inclusion initiative, serves as vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and works as a marketing intern for Cyclone Dining, the University’s food service provider. “Since the conference, I’ve been able to self-advocate for myself and for other women,” said Sampong, who was encouraged to attend the conference by her sister, Jasmine, an AAUW scholarship recipient in 2023 and 2024. “I definitely think that my leadership positions on campus, as well as attending the conference, boosted my level of confidence. It reinforced that my value is equal to the opposite gender, and that I can do anything I put my mind to.”

Looking toward the upcoming academic year, Centenary’s AAUW members plan to share their conference experiences with the state and county organizations that funded their conference attendance. They also hope to host events on Centenary’s campus for men and women. “There’s not a huge understanding among women about the challenges we will face after college,” Mendez explained. “We need to understand what it means to be a woman right now in the workplace and in the world and be prepared to face those challenges.”

Sampong added that it’s just as important to reach out to men on campus: “I don’t think most men understand the difficulties that women face in the world. Spreading awareness among both men and women is a priority.”