“Sewing together the threads of leadership, sisterhood and holistic development…one Sister at a time.”

In response to the call for a program that caters to the specific needs of women of African descent, the Sister Empowerment and Mentorship Program (SEAM) proposes to create a space where such women can learn about themselves as women, Black women and leaders on both the Columbia and Barnard campuses.  This program will seek to hone the leadership skills that already exist within the community and encourage such women to extend their leadership training outside of the University. 

The program has been designed to include the following two focus areas: the leadership development component and a wellness component.  The leadership component will examine various aspects of their experience currently as students and eventually as professionals within the wider community. Students will work to define and cultivate their own style of leadership in addition to developing a culturally relevant professional identity.  The wellness component will utilize the six areas of the “Wellness Wheel.”  Those areas are: Emotional, Social, Intellectual, Physical, Spiritual and Occupational. 

SEAM will help women find healthy ways to express stress and to learn to support each other as well as utilize the knowledge and experience of others as viable resources in the future.