Inspiring Women in Lifelong Leadership (I WILL) Award recipients are chosen based on the following criteria:
- Equality and social justice are infused into every job, activity and role in which they are involved.
- They have the ability to influence agendas, even without the formal power or authority to do so.
- They emphasize the value of collective power and responsibility and generally reject the model of individual leadership.
- They are introspective and critical about their own leadership and the failings or shortcomings of their own movements and organizations.
- They create innovative structures and bring their transformative agendas into their organizations.
To nominate someone for an Inspiring Women in Lifelong Leadership (I WILL) Award, go to: https://mocsyncorgs.utc.edu/submitter/form/step/1?Guid=5a95f965-7a76-43af-a231-2d549cf834f3
Leadership can obvious, especially when it’s inherent in a job title.
Presidents govern. Directors manage.
Sometimes, though, leadership comes disguised in plain sight but seemingly camouflaged. Some quietly captain their ship despite not having a title.
It’s those unsung movers and shakers that the Center for Women and Gender Equity (WAGE) at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wants to recognize.
From now until Friday, March 11, the WAGE center is accepting recommendations for the “Inspiring Women in Lifelong Leadership (I WILL) Awards,” which highlight female UTC students working toward social justice and gender equity in ways that defy the typical top-down power structure.
Ideal candidates include those who demonstrate the ability to influence agendas without formal power or authority, or those who reject the idea of an individual leader and instead foster collective power and shared responsibility.
“We’re not looking for your typical student leaders. We’re looking for women students who are making a difference but not necessarily by leading an organization,” said Lauren Ouwerkerk, assistant director of the WAGE center. “They could be deeply involved in research or in the lab and inspiring women in that work. It doesn’t have to be this idea that you’re not a leader unless you’re in charge of people.”
“Leadership is often seen in a hierarchical structure, so we want to recognize that leaders don’t always have to be the one at the top of the food chain.”
The awards were launched in 2017 after “we recognized a gap in how we acknowledge our women leaders on campus,” Ouwerkerk said.
Students can recommend themselves or be recommended by other students or members of the faculty and staff.
Those who are recommended will be asked to fill out a short form that explains their leadership roles. They also can opt out if they don’t want to participate.
Many who are recommended for the award are taken aback, Ouwerkerk said.
“So often women don’t see themselves as leaders until someone else points it out.”
The I WILL Awards are presented by the Coalition Advocating for Student Empowerment, the executive leadership board that creates and organizes programs for the WAGE center.
