Women's Leadership Awards

Background on the Women's Leadership Awards

The Harvard College Women's Center's Leadership Awards honor three seniors of any gender who have demonstrated transformational leadership and made a meaningful impact on fellow students, the campus, and/or the community. As a result of their excellent leadership, they have set an example that could inspire or empower women at Harvard College to assume leadership roles. The undergraduate awards are given in conjunction with a $500 cash prize. Please note: all applicable fees and taxes are the responsibility of the recipients.

Eligibility

Candidates for the Leadership Award must be undergraduates of any gender who are graduating in the academic year that the award is being made. Recipients of the award are expected to participate in the DSO Student Leadership Awards in early May.

Nominations  

In order to be considered for this honor, candidates must first receive a nomination letter submitted to the Harvard College Women’s Center by a community member, including students, staff, and faculty. Seniors are encouraged to reach out to their network for a nomination letter. There is no limit to the number of nominations which one person may make or receive. 

Please use this link  to nominate a senior by March 24, 2024, and to tell us how and why your nominee(s) inspires you and others. After a senior is nominated, the nominee will be contacted to submit an application describing their personal philosophy of leadership. An award committee comprised of faculty and staff selects the winner from the pool of completed applications. 

If you have questions about this award or any aspect of the criteria, please contact the Women's Center by email at hcwc@fas.harvard.edu or phone at 617-495-4292.

Application

Once a nominating statement has been received by the publicized deadline, the candidate is notified and asked to submit online a completed form and supporting materials in order to be considered for the award, including:

  • An application, including a personal statement of no more than 3000 characters detailing the candidate's leadership practice, the impact of that leadership on other undergraduates at Harvard College, and the candidate's perception of what it means to be a leader.
  • a current résumé.

Selection: The award committee reviews the applications, interviews finalists, and chooses three recipients from among the finalist pool. The committee is comprised of members of the Harvard community (see below for more detail).

Notification: Finalists will be asked for an in-person interview with the award committee. All candidates will be informed of the award committee's decision by April 25. The Women's Leadership Awards will be presented during the Dean of Students Office Annual Student Leadership Awards ceremony in early May.

Criteria

The Harvard College Women’s Leadership Award Committee uses three primary criteria for selection of Candidates:

  • The candidate has demonstrated exceptional leadership towards the achievement aligned with the mission of the Harvard College Women’s Center: celebrate women who mentor, collaborate, challenge, motivate, and inspire; and promote gender equity by raising awareness of women’s and gender issues.
  • The candidate has made a meaningful impact on fellow students, the campus, and/or their communities over the last four years that reflects the depth and breadth of a sustained commitment. The candidate has set an example that inspires or empowers women at Harvard College to assume leadership responsibilities on campus and beyond.

In addition, the Committee considers two further criteria:

  • The candidate gives promise of continued significant contributions through their post-graduate plans and/or long-term personal goals*. Those contributions are likely to reflect distinctive creativity, originality and initiative and will mark the candidate as a leading and influential figure within their fields of endeavor. (*Candidates are not expected to have fixed post-grad plans to be considered for this award.)
  • The candidate’s communities engaged, goals accomplished, and background contribute to the diversity of the Women’s Leadership Award past recipient pool.

The Women’s Leadership Awards seeks to celebrate women who challenge, motivate, and inspire, while recognizing the cultural and structural barriers to women who lead. The Committee also takes into consideration the intersectional identity of applicants from different backgrounds, in different fields, and at different stages in their educational development. As Audre Lorde astutely remarked, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” Similarly, the efforts of the candidates may not be “single-issue” as the experiences of women on our campus is shaped by the whole of their intersecting identities. As such, the Women’s Leadership Award Committee takes those differences into account in assessing applicants' success in meeting the selection criteria.

WLA Selection Committee

The committee membership may change year-to-year, however, will be comprised of:

  • Representatives from the Dean of Students Office of Harvard College (Equity Diversity, and Inclusion, Residential Life, Student Engagement);
  • One representative from the Office of Career Services;
  • One representative from the Public Service Department; and
  • An alumnae of Harvard College.

All of the representatives will be invited by the director of the Harvard College Women’s Center with the support of the Dean of Students Office on behalf of Harvard College. Committee members are expected to serve at least two years and up to four years with a gap of two years between for future membership.