CWC Leadership Scholars Program
Our cohort-based Leadership Scholars Program develops diverse, thoughtful, civically-responsible, women-identified leaders who thrive at DU and beyond. Our program harnesses the open and supportive environment that is the legacy of the Colorado Women’s College.
Program highlights include:
Academic, community and financial support for up to 15 incoming undergraduate women who identify as first-generation college students and/or students of color
Up to $5,500 in scholarship funds for students with financial need
Community-based learning and problem solving across all four years of the program
Workshops and mentoring opportunities to develop workplace readiness and leadership skills
Numerous Scholars-specific events each quarter, including retreats in fall and winter, and engagement with CWC alumnae and networks
How to Apply
The CWC Leadership Scholars Program welcomes women-identified undergraduates with a desire to join our community and work as change leaders. Special consideration is given to first-generation college students and those from underrepresented backgrounds at DU, as well as those who demonstrate unmet financial need. All applicants must be entering their first year as a DU undergraduate student for the 2022-2023 academic year to be eligible for the program.
Our Vision for the Program
As a community of strong, diverse women, we're not just able to lead—we must in order to establish a more equitable world. The CWC Leadership Scholars program vision is to:
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Provide a space for cultivating powerful, diverse voices for leadership
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Recognize, acknowledge and seek to remove barriers to leadership
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Activate and support Scholars to use their voice, disrupt injustice and empower themselves and others for positive personal and community change
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Continue the spirited, disruptive legacy of Colorado Women’s College
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Develop graduates committed to equity, who work to be active leaders and change makers in their communities
46 In the 2019-2020 school year, there are 46 women-identified students in the program. 100% are from Colorado.
100% All CWC Leadership Scholars are first-generation college students and/or women of color
96% Participants in the CWC Leadership Scholars program have a three-year 96% retention rate in the program and at DU over all cohorts.
Purpose and Passion
The CWC Leadership Scholars program admits applicants who identify as women and who are first-generation college students, from underrepresented communities, or both.
Our focus on an affinity group cohort comes from research that tells us that students’ gender and racial/ethnic identity influence their experiences, persistence and success in college, particularly at a Predominately White Institution (PWI). Additional findings in our research include:
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While both men and women may benefit from a leadership minor, women especially may find value in learning in a gender-specific affinity group that allows them to overcome barriers of inequality which are known to inhibit learning (Carli & Eagly, 2007; Haber Curran & Tillapaugh, 2017).
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It is important to offer programming that helps first generation and underrepresented students transition into and feel included within (Guthrie, Bertrand Jones, & Osteen, 2016; Jones & Abes, 2013).
Leadership development focusing on women from diverse backgrounds allows for a classroom environment that is a brave, yet safe space. The CWC Leadership Scholars program creates a unique ecosystem for participants to create strong, lasting relationships, articulate experiences with others who share similar identities, and develop leadership capabilities that empower and enrich participants’ personal and professional lives.