Meet MacEwan Women In Leadership!

SAMU: Tell me about yourself, your role and position in this club.

Kjersti Courtney: My name is Kjersti Courtney. I am the co-founder and co-president of Women in Leadership!

SAMU: What is MacEwan Women in Leadership? Can you tell me about how this group started?

Kjersti: Growing up, I feel like I usually put myself in a leadership role, whether that be in education or sports. I thought creating a club for leadership would ultimately uplift and build confidence in women and I feel like it’s something I also needed. So I thought, “why not bring other members along for this journey”!

SAMU: What has been your favorite event with MacEwan Women in Leadership?

Kjersti: My personal favorite was probably “Nervous to Natural”, which was our public speaking workshop. We had a couple Edmonton entrepreneurs come and speak, and it was very cool. I definitely learned a lot from it, such as building confidence and how to public speak.

SAMU: Why did you create MacEwan Women in Leadership?

Kjersti: The whole motive behind Women in Leadership was to just build confidence and bring people together. Starting in post-secondary is very intimidating; it’s hard to find friends. I wanted to create a community at MacEwan for students to be more involved and engaged in the university life. I also wanted to build my confidence so why not make it so everyone else can? Having a community of women that uplifts and helps each other out and collectively learning as we go is really fun. This is the way I wanted to leave a mark here at MacEwan.

SAMU: How are you providing leadership opportunities for women on campus?

Kjersti: We have put on quite a bit of events to keep MacEwan Women in Leadership alive. We have public speaking workshops, business mixers, networking opportunities and more events in the making that cater to confidence building. Providing the opportunity to be part of the club, whether that be being a general member or becoming an executive, allows people to be part of a community with similar interests. It ultimately puts you in a position to meet new people and build on different skills. We want to give the opportunity to not just speak about leadership but put leadership into action.

SAMU: How has being involved with a student group improved your university experience?

Kjertsi: I started off being a general member of a couple different clubs and I thought it would be really fun to create my own. This opportunity has led me to become a lot more active on campus and I learn a lot from these student groups and putting these events up. That’s something that I wouldn’t necessarily learn in a classroom and I feel like putting myself out there has definitely led to my active participation as a MacEwan student. It makes university feel a lot more meaningful when you are part of a community or a club like this.

SAMU: Do you have any upcoming events that students should look out for?

Kjersti: Right now, we are implementing a monthly event called “Lead With Love”. It’s all about giving back to the community in any way we can. For the month of April, we are doing a food bank drive, so we’re going into the Edmonton Food Bank and helping them out. We’re also planning to branch out to other organizations such as the Humane Society and the Mustard Seed and create volunteering events for the upcoming months.

SAMU: What would you say to someone considering joining a Student Group?

Kjersti: At first, I was hesitant about joining a student group because I didn’t know anybody. It’s honestly pretty intimidating at the start but I just did it, and it’s been really fun so just do it. It leads you to so many different opportunities, in a field that interests you. You build a community and find friends that have similar interests as you. I would highly recommend, putting yourself out there and engaging in a community at MacEwan. There are so many different things happening on campus, and joining a student group could be one of the best decision you make. The events and opportunities provided by student groups allow you to meet new people and grow yourself as a human being.