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 protest. Be sure to tell us what you'd like to see in the series! And this year, our festival will take place March 2-4, 2023. Mark your calendar now.
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.
In 2022-2023, we're offering the Athena Fellows Program; Athena Incubator (for entrepreneurs); Athena Policy and Changemaking; Athena Digital Design; Athena Advocacy Institute; Williams Program for Women in Politics; Laidlaw Scholars Program; and SEE + Athena: Student Leaders.
Read about how these work and find information about eligibility and application deadlines here.
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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.
Upcoming At Athena
This fall, PBS released a stunning three-part series: The U.S. and the Holocaust. Co-directed by Sarah Botstein ‘94, the series sheds light on what the U.S. government and Americans knew and did — and did not do — as Hitler rose to power. Join the Athena Center, the Kraft Center, and the Office of DEI at Barnard on Monday, April 3 at 6 pm for a screening of a portion of the documentary and a conversation with Botstein and other special guests. This event is free and open to the public. You must RSVP to attend.
Do you want to work in government but aren't quite sure where you fit in? Have you ever been confused by political jargon? Join Policy & Government Expert-in-Residence Emma Wolfe on Wednesday, April 5 from 6:30 - 8 pm in the Athena Center to break down New York government structure and terminology. Food will be provided. RSVP is encouraged here.
Join Athena Entrepreneurs on Thursday, April 6th, from 6:30 - 8 pm in the Athena CoLab to talk about the ins-and-outs of founding and sustaining a startup as a young founder with Samantha Greenspan '21, Co-Founder and COO of Skolay and 22-23 Columbia Startup Lab member. Food will be provided. RSVP is encouraged here.
Field Notes
We are happy to announce our first Athena Incubator cohort! These members will participate in an year long incubator program led by Entrepreneur-in-Residence Deepti Sharma who will help guide them to reach their business goals. Click here to learn more about them and their businesses.
This spring, Athena Film Festival Post-Baccalaureate Fellow Gabriela Jatene participated in Artemis Rising Filmmaker Fellow, Abbesi Akhamie's mini-course on Film Grant Writing & Creative Career Strategy. Click here to read Gabriela's reflection on this hands-on learning opportunity.
We are thrilled to announce our Spring 2023 cohort of Athena Fellows! This semester, nine Barnard students from diverse majors and class years have been selected to participate in the program from January 27 to April 28. Click here to learn more about them.
Earlier this semester, Athena Entrepreneurs took a delicious and educational field trip to local Harlem restaurant VEGANHOOD to chat with its Co-Founders about their small business journey. See what our Entrepreneurship Student Lead Diarra Seck ’23 had to say about the experience here.
Bridget Hughes is a junior majoring in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Human Rights. This academic year, she is assisting with Athena Center operations and supports communication between our Communities of Practice, as well as outreach to the broader Barnard/Columbia community. Check out this snapshot of Bridget's experience during the fall 2022 semester interning at the Center!
Athena Post-Bacc Ruchi Shah traveled down south to a 3-day conference in the heart of New Orleans to present on a presidential panel centered around entrepreneurship and gender earlier this year. Read about how it went down here.
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.
