Athena Center for Leadership
We're the leadership center you've been looking for.
We'll help you figure out how you can lead change and give you opportunities to practice leading change, in a supportive community, outside of the classroom.
We're here for all Barnard students, at all points of your Barnard experience. Scroll down to see how you can get involved or just drop by and we'll figure it out together!
What can you do here?
Don't have time to take on a specific project, or to explore a specific method of changemaking — or don't feel ready to do that yet? That's okay! SPARK, our event series, and the Athena Film Festival will inspire you and ignite your thinking about what's possible and what you might do. They're open to everyone and you can take part in whatever way works for you.
This year, our theme for SPARK is dialogue. Be sure to tell us what you'd like to see in this series! And save the date for the 15th Anniversary Athena Film Festival, which will take place March 6 - 9, 2025.
Communities of practice are where we roll up our sleeves and get to work here at Athena. Our communities of practice provide (1) meaningful connections with students who share your interests, (2) mentorship and guidance from experts and experienced changemakers, (3) an ungraded space to try something new, take a risk, get it wrong, and try again, and (4) funding or help accessing funding from external sources so you can dedicate the time and attention.
Read about how these work and find information about eligibility and application deadlines.
Not sure what community of practice is right for you? Or if you even want to join one? Or maybe you do want to join one, but the timing isn't working for you right now? Maybe you want to join one, but aren't seeing it on the list?
Whatever your reason, we'd love to get to know you so that we can identify ways to help you with your individual needs.
Our team members hold office hours and we welcome drop-ins too. Our space is open from 10-5 pm every weekday, and if the CoLab isn't in use, you're welcome to use it to collaborate with others.
Opportunities at Athena
Are you a Barnard or Columbia student looking for resources and a community to grow your business? Look no further! The Athena Incubator is for emerging entrepreneurs to build their business with the guidance of Athena’s Entrepreneur in Residence. Interested? Apply to join the 24-25 cohort.
Applications due July 14, 2024 at 11:59pm
Save the date! The 15th annual Athena Film Festival will take place March 6-9, 2025. Passes go on sale this fall, so keep an eye out for updates.
We'll see you there!
Curious about what happened at the Athena Center during the 2023-24 academic year? Check out the Field Notes Archive to read reflections, outcomes, and recaps from communities of practice and events that took place over the years.
Field Notes
In Fall 2023, in partnership with the LeFrak Center for Wellbeing, a community learned how wellness and entrepreneurship meet at HAVEN Boxing.
Follow Wynne's project through multiple Athena Center's programs, from inception to how to transition through her graduation in May 2024.
In ADDA UX, students, guided by an experienced changemaker, explore user design through hands-on practice, addressing challenges and maximizing impact. Tech Expert-in-Residence Natalie Valcourt introduced the ADDA UX community to user experience principles, Figma, and website prototype building, emphasizing the importance of user research for great design.
In Fall 2023, Athena partnered with the Women in Energy Initiative at Columbia’s Center for Global Energy Policy (CGEP) to create Take the Mic, Take Action! Read about why collaborating on communities of practice like this one is so important!
Guest expert Ugonna Okpalaoka led a community of changemakers interested in harnessing the art of visual and narrative storytelling methods to champion their causes.
Learn about the Social Change Ecosystem framework and how Athena students discovered how to best use their skills to create change.
Stay in the know.
We do a lot around here!
If you're a Barnard student, be sure to sign up for our email newsletter to hear about upcoming opportunities.
For our off-campus fans, we have a quarterly newsletter.
To catch a glimpse of life at Athena, check out our Instagram.