Eleven students from Saint Xavier University were recently accepted into the Future Leaders Program. The program is an initiative of the Chicago Network, an organization that fosters empowering relationships between professional women in Chicago. The goal of the program is to inspire women to become the next generation of leaders.
Sophomores and juniors from Saint Xavier University, DePaul University, and the University of Illinois are eligible for the program. Alicia Dutkiewicz, an SXU Sophomore Marketing major, said that she was instantly intrigued when she learned of the program.
“When I was emailed about the opportunity with the Chicago Network, I was instantly intrigued. We were told that their Future Leaders program would allow us to meet and network with business leaders from well-known Chicago businesses and I knew it was an experience that I wanted and needed to have!†said Dutkiewicz.
Sophomore Business major, Esraa Aburass, was also intrigued by the opportunity to meet prominent Chicago leaders. “I wanted to see the faces of true leaders, the leaders that will inspire me to become a future leader and that will push me to take my first lead, to take my first step into the real world!†she said.
The application process for the Future Leaders Program involved submitting a resume, an explanation of career aspirations, and information such as GPA and extracurricular involvement. Applicants were also asked to write an essay about how they would “pay it forward†if accepted into the program.
“In my response, I explained how I might like to share my experiences during the program with others and motivate them to try and take advantage of similar professional advancement opportunities for themselves,†said Dutkiewicz.
The students who were accepted into the program attended an orientation on Thursday, April 21 in downtown Chicago. At the orientation, students had the opportunity to network with members of the Chicago Network.
“We all learned about their experiences as leaders in the workforce and received helpful insight that we can use in our future careers. I was excited to personally introduce myself to them; I actually got to talk to a woman who held a high position at Leo Burnett–one of my dream companies–and even participated in the Q&A session,†Dutkiewicz said.
For Aburass, attending the orientation was inspiring because of the powerful women she had the opportunity to meet. “I can remember the words of those powerful women that fought to be in the place that they are in. Women who have faced challenges but still managed to be successful. I could almost see the invisible barrier of glass ceiling being broken and more visible for women to advance and to be successful!†she said.
In May, the Future Leaders will have the opportunity to visit the two companies, including the Chicago Tribune, in order to see how the business operates. Last year, the Future Leaders program had the opportunity to visit the Adler Planetarium and the ABC 7 News studio.
“I am definitely most looking forward to our visit to the Chicago Tribune offices downtown in May. I think it will be cool to be immersed in a company with such a unique history and network with the people that work there. I also look forward to getting to hang out with the other SXU Future Leaders members more,†Dutkiewicz said.
Aburass says that she hopes that the program will help her grow both professionally and personally. “What I am most looking forward to in this program is to take my first step into the real world of business, taking my step to network with many other successful women! I’m looking forward to meeting those nonprofit and profit companies and organizations, and to learn the purposes of their business. And mostly, I am looking to find myself out there,†she said.
Dutkiewicz hopes that being a part of the Future Leaders program will help her reach her goals and ultimately inspire other to reach theirs. “I think being a part of the Future Leaders program will open up many networking opportunities, and maybe even mentor relationships that can help me work towards my career goals. Meeting with women who have achieved so much is really inspiring and I hope to someday be able to join an organization like the Chicago Network to share similar experiences of my own to inspire others,†she said.
To learn more about the program, and to view profiles of this year’s Future Leaders, visit the Chicago Network website.
Yasmeen Abdellatif
Senior News Editor
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