Celebrating Women in the Prep for Prep Community

Who are the women who inspire you? When we asked our CEO Ruth Jurgensen, in addition to women like former First Lady Michelle Obama, former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, many colleagues, aunts, godmothers, best friends from college, and her mom, she said there are two women who come to mind when she thinks of leadership and impact. 

“Jacqueline Pelzer, the head of Early Steps, is a profoundly influential leader and mentor in my life. She’s a leader in the independent school world, who is so knowledgeable, sharp, and respected. She is truly greatness personified and a VIP New Yorker.  

And I truly admire and deeply appreciate Ikram Goldman, an entrepreneur and owner of the high-fashion Chicago boutique, ikram, so very much. She is the most generous and loving person and without a doubt is the reason I am with Prep for Prep now. She absolutely sees for me, and many, many others, what is possible, and gives all of the energy and fuel to believe in yourself, your abilities and future if you can't, until you can. She empowers many, many women, and I am truly blessed to have her in my life.”

Women that Cornell University senior Lotoya F. (XXXIV) admires include Toni Morrison and Kimberlé Crenshaw, both Cornell alums! “I feel like a lot of stars have passed through this place and I don’t take that for granted.” But for the amazing woman that Lotoya is today, she gives all the credit to the women who raised her. “I was raised by a single mom and all her sisters. They’re the reason why I am who I am. Also my grandma, she passed away a few years ago, and she’s buried in Jamaica. When I go, like I did recently, I make it a point to visit her. As I've matured, I’ve been able to reflect on and really appreciate the stuff she used to say. I’ve been growing more and more grateful for the fact that I once had her.”

Lotoya is building community everywhere she goes. When she was a high school student at Poly Prep, she was Class President all four years, plus co-captain of the Step team and African Dance and Drum, but her proudest moment was founding the Black women's affinity group Lemonade, “a space for us to find community in our unique yet collective experience. Black women faculty served as advisors and provided that mentorship that we needed as well, so it was more than just a student space. It's definitely the thing I’m most grateful for and what I think was my greatest impact at Poly.”

"One of my recurring pursuits is definitely around creating a more supportive environment for Black women and girls, and stressing that intersectionality.” Now at Cornell, Lotoya fondly recalls the ice cream social hosted for Black women at the start of every year that she helped run as President of the Black Women's Support Network (BWSN). “We share our hopes and fears for the year, and there’s always so much overlap. I felt really privileged to be able to facilitate that conversation." Something she's really looking forward to this semester, aside from graduating, is being this year's commencement speaker in the spring as Convocation Chair.

Nicole A. (XXXVI) is an undergraduate student at Wesleyan University whose interest in “deconstructing taboo things” has led her to the Adolescent Sexual Health Awareness (ASHA) group on campus. “In middle school, I made myself the pro on all things menstruation. It was less about knowing the facts and more about taking that information and making it accessible.” ASHA spent the last two years updating a new, comprehensive sex education curriculum, which they are presenting to neighboring high schools. She's also a member of the Wesleyan Reproductive Advocacy and Legislation group, which seeks to inform the student body on current legislation and improve reproductive legislation on campus.

These issues do not solely affect the lives of persons who reproduce. The sex education curriculum ASHA made, for example, has a large emphasis on "consent and healthy relationships and I think that all the lessons we teach with consent and healthy relationships can apply to anyone. Having sex ed that is comprehensive enables people to understand how they interact with others." Nicole stresses that the topic of reproductive justice is also a nuanced one. "It's not necessarily abortion rights. It's also enabling people to have children or feel stable enough to have children. That goes into every single aspect, every issue of social justice. Creating a world where people feel safe to make that choice." Nicole is pre-med and interested in becoming a gynecologist. "I feel like there's a lot of work I can do in my own community and I'm excited for that." 

For women aspiring to be leaders,  like our inspiring undergraduates and the CEO herself, Ruth encourages them to “align your choices with the vision you have for yourself, each and every one. Surround yourself with those who see what more is possible for you.”