Go Vote, Run, Lead

In 1998 Mary Wilson started The White House Project in order to "advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors, up to the U.S. presidency." The organization works to increase female representation in American institutions, businesses and government.

I received a plethora of political training this weekend and met some fabulous women to boot. The Vote, Run, Lead program is designed to engage women in the political process as voters, activists and candidates through trainings, inspiration and networking. Having served as a political staffer on the state and local level I thought I might benefit from Go Run.

Go Run is a weekend long training dedicated to equipping women with the skills to run and win. The training aims to make the political process easier and inspire a richly diverse group of women into the leadership pipeline. Go Run also provides the nuts and bolts of running for political office by focusing on areas like communications, fundraising, and campaigning - skills you can use in your work and in your community up to the day you decide to run!

Now I am most definitely not running for any office but having worked on campaigns found this to be a wonderfully intensive weekend. I learned a lot.

Check out www.thewhitehouseproject.org I cannot wait till the next training, Go Lead.

A Global Education Beats a Classroom Education Any Day

The bluest blues, the greenest greens, and a sunset that could make you cry. I traveled Costa Rica with a group of strangers and returned home having seen sights, done things, and shared experiences with people (some of whom will be lifelong friends), that were literally life altering.

As a single black woman I have found that traveling has opened my eyes in ways that a traditional education cannot. Cultural immersion offers the participant an opportunity to develop perspective, creativity, compassion, and friendship.

Spending my entire trip in a hotel or at a resort, eating hotel food and lounging by the pool, is not for me. I like to venture out and experience the local culture. Wherever I go in the world it is meeting local people, hearing the language and music, tasting the country's food, and observing how people live their lives that fuel my passion.