Dozens of undergraduate women in leadership flocked to Memorial Union to be honored at the first annual Wisconsin Womxn Lead Gala for the work they have done in the community relating to women’s equality and overall success Wednesday.
The Gala took place to honor 53 nominees, who were appointed by their peers for demonstrating exceptional leadership in the Madison community.
“A lot of the nominees are leaders of student organizations, class office, sorority life, student unions, student government, rights advocates, athletes and more,” said 4W Initiative social media intern Olivia Anderson.
The gala was sponsored by the 4W Initiative, which is a UW-Madison group that focuses on making life better for women, while achieving equality. The “4W” stands for Women & Wellbeing in Wisconsin & the World.
The ceremony featured an opening by Lori DiPrete Brown, director of the 4W Initiative, and Keynote Faculty Speaker Sarli Mercado, PhD, co-Director of 4W International Collective Translation Project. There were also musical performances by Zawadi Carroll, Posse scholar and Campus Women’s Center coordinator, and Tangled Up In Blue, an all-female acapella group.
The ceremony closed with student speaker Joanna Martinez, Director of Diversity and Inclusion and a recognition of Honorees.
Five women were awarded and recognized as honorees including: Anisa Yudawanti, Jessica Unicomb, Alexis Payette, Erin Tenderholt and Tashiana Lipscomb.
The 4W Initiative network hopes to continue growing in the upcoming years and foster conversations around women’s life on campus.
“We hope this grows into something where people who don’t have leadership roles participate in our events,” said 4W development and support intern Colleen Whitley. “Especially as a woman, you can feel like a number on this campus. But the work you’re doing is still important.”
