The Future is Female: Investing in the Next Generation at the Young Women’s Leadership Launch
Lexi Abbiati ’25 and Christina Shaffer ’25 reflect on their experience organizing an annual day of learning and mentorship for New Haven high-schoolers.
On February 15th, the Women in Management (WIM) club welcomed more than 70 high school girls to the 10th annual Young Women’s Leadership Launch (YWLL) at Yale SOM. The conference convened SOM students and high-schoolers from New Haven and beyond for a transformative day of learning, networking, and leadership development centered on discovering and amplifying young voices.
As co-chairs of the event, we’ve worked since April to build on last year’s conference and make this one even more impactful. We had two main goals while planning: to go beyond simply exploring college majors and show how they lead to real career paths, and to inspire the students by connecting them with local female leaders who have achieved success in New Haven. These big-picture ideas drove our planning as our committee joined us in the fall to bring this vision to life—choosing a theme, securing guest speakers, and ensuring the event reached the New Haven community.
We kicked off the day in Evans Hall with an icebreaker activity called “Lost at Sea,” in which the girls got to know their tablemates by debating the most important items for survival after a shipwreck. The room quickly filled with laughter and collaboration as the girls bonded over breakfast pastries. Victoria “Vicky” Chun, Yale’s director of athletics, even began her keynote address by joking that she probably wouldn’t survive at sea given her performance in the game—a joke that got all the girls laughing. Vicky then shared inspiring her story of how she found her voice, learned to ask for help, and built resilience as an Asian-American woman trailblazing in leadership roles. The girls eagerly engaged with her, some even standing up to be coached through speaking to a large audience.
Later, participants engaged in interactive workshops and career sessions led by 22 dedicated volunteers from SOM and the Yale School of the Environment. Different groups explored topics from communication and teamwork to college preparation. Many students valued hearing candid advice from female role models in careers where women are underrepresented, and speakers told us they were inspired as well. Lucia Vina Patino ’26, our operations lead and a speaker for the technology and engineering sessions, felt hopeful for the future of the industry after receiving many thoughtful questions about how best to prepare for different leadership paths.
It was incredibly rewarding to see Evans Hall come alive with the energy and enthusiasm of all these young visitors. It was especially inspiring to welcome back returning participants and witness their continued growth. Mentorship and strong female role models have been critical in shaping our own careers, so we’re honored to pay that forward by creating a space for the next generation to connect, learn, and grow.
Erika Smith, CEO of the biotech company ReNetxBio, closed the day with a fireside chat, during which she shared her journey as an entrepreneur and encouraged attendees to find courage and embrace sisterhood. It was particularly inspiring to hear how Erika’s transition from an engineering background to a leadership role was out of her comfort zone. In line with our conference theme of “Finding Your Voice,” Erika emphasized that not everyone is naturally comfortable in roles that require public speaking, and shared that she continues to practice and seek feedback to improve. This message really resonated with the students. During the Q&A, they had many questions about overcoming challenges and finding mentors for guidance and support.
As the conference wrapped up, we were thrilled to hear how much the students enjoyed the day and expressed interest in returning next year! They loved the career sessions that provided valuable resources and insights they hadn’t encountered, the opportunity to connect with one another, and the inspiring guest speakers. YWLL remains a vital space where young women gain the skills and confidence to step boldly into their futures, supported by a network of inspiring mentors and ambitious peers. With the amount of interest we received this year, we hope that the conference can continue to grow and expand its reach year after year!
