By Dylan Pichnarcik Editorial Staff Assistant Dean of Campus Engagement Rachel Spezia created the Women’s Student Leadership Network after seeing other groups hold similar programs. She said a program did not exist at Framingham State. Now administrators Nancy Niemi, Meg Nowak Boreggo, Stephanie Crane, and Lorretta Holloway, whose desks are piled high with paperwork, proposals, and problems concerning students - take a moment to connect with female students on a personal level. FSU was founded as an all-women’s college and only began admitting male students in 1964, according to framingham.edu. Sophia Harris, Adrien Gobin, Marlee Griffin, Rachel Rafferty, Caspian Barrett, Evelyn Campbell and Emily Crossin all have appointments to meet with these administrators and advise them on what it means to be a woman at Framingham State. Mentors and mentees are required to meet three times but could continue if they desired, said Spezia. Spezia said she hoped mentees were able to add another person on campus to their support network, “but also [their mentor] is someone who the mentee can go to outside of their normal person. So they get a different perspective and that it's a relationship that can continue past many of the mentees graduating.” Crossin, class of ’26, was paired with President Nancy Niemi. Crossin said, “It has been such an honor to learn from successful women. President Niemi has given me a total boost in my confidence about entering the workforce as a young woman. It has been wonderful getting to know her and I have learned so much from her!” She said she is hoping to build skills in networking, leadership, and professionalism, and she also wants to “learn as much as I can from an incredible woman. If I'm lucky, I could be as successful as her some day. “I hope President Niemi can learn something from me. I hope to give her a different perspective as a student. Most importantly, I hope she enjoyed our meetings and getting to know each other,” Crossin said. Niemi said her experience in the program was “wonderful” and hopes “Emily will know that she can always reach out to me for career conversation.” Niemi said she hoped Crossin knows she “has another person in her corner as she continues on her professional journey. I also hope she knows that I am deeply honored to have gotten to know her - she is so thoughtful and determined.” Harris, class of ’25, said she was invited to take part in the program by Spezia. “With the Trump administration, women often feel like their voices are not being heard. So I think being paired up with somebody who is wiser, more mature than us, and who has lived through more of these events than the mentees have, it gives us some insight into how we can take care of ourselves as women, and how we can support other women, other female students,” Harris said. Harris was paired with Lorretta Holloway, vice president of Student Success, and is excited about working with her. “I feel like I'm very connected with most, say 95% of the administrators here. I have multiple opportunities throughout the year to sit down and speak with other administrators, which I am very privileged and lucky to be able to do. But Lorretta Holloway, I actually have not had that much contact throughout my four years at Framingham State, and so it just happened that our paths haven't crossed. So I feel very, very lucky to be able to be paired with her, because she's not somebody that I have interacted with a lot before,” Harris said. Holloway said, “Sophia is a treat. “She’s really interesting. Really being able to talk to her about her plans. We worked on her resume, and I was like, ‘Oh, move this here. You need to emphasize this more.’” Holloway said having programs such as this is important in recognizing, “that we need to lift each other up in as many different ways as possible, whether it's a program or a celebration coming together as a community, but taking a moment to pause and have a personal relationship, no matter what group you're representing.” Gobin, class of ’26, said she was paired with Stephanie Crane, director of Residence Life and Housing. She said she is excited to connect with someone she wouldn’t usually speak with on a day-to-day basis. Gobin said her experience so far has been “great. “It’s been great getting to meet and have a mentor that knows me but is also able to help me network for my future career,” she said. She said she is hoping the program will help her gain another connection at the University as well as “gain valuable advice and knowledge on being a woman in a leadership role.” Crane said, “At minimum I hope that she takes away that she has another support here on campus. I am always available to help answer questions, run ideas by, or just chat about random things that are happening.” She added, “It was really cool to see how confident she was and willing to put herself out there to try new things. She will do fantastic things during the rest of her time at FSU and beyond and I am thankful to have been able to get to know her!” Crane said she believes it is important for programs like this to exist because “women have a unique experience out in the world and having a strong support network of other women is truly a powerful tool that helps to uplift us all and persevere when we face adversity.” Marlee Griffin, class of ’25, was paired with Meg Nowak Borrego, dean of students. Griffin said, “It was great to be able to sit down with her and have a real in-depth conversation. I told her my next steps since I'm graduating this spring and I talked about my plan to teach abroad in Spain. She could tell how very calculated I'm being with my plans for the future and commended me for having clear goals.” She added, “It always helps to have someone believe in you and be in your corner. She also brought up how important it is to maintain the connections with people who have supported you in your life. Nurturing those relationships and reaching out every now and then is not only gratifying and helpful but you have no idea what may come about from those relationships.” Nowak Borrego said, “I have enjoyed this mentorship program and I have appreciated the way Assistant Dean Spezia put together our opportunities to gather and learn from each other.” Nowak Borrego said she hopes Griffin “will take away a piece of wisdom I may have shared as they traverse what is next. I also hope she will feel like she can contact me anytime in the future.” She added, “I still connect with mentors I made during college and early in my career. As a first-generation college student, I had no idea that I could build a life-long relationship with people and women from college … I am very grateful for them.” Rachel Rafferty, class of ’25, who was paired with Athletics Deputy Director Carey Eggen said her experience has been insightful. “Carey is extremely knowledgeable and experienced in the sports industry. As someone who is just getting my foot in the door in the world of sports, having her to learn from is eye-opening and truly the best because she lives it every day. “Through my experience so far I feel as though I have gained a true mentor.” Rafferty said that even though Eggen and herself were paired in the program, “I truly feel that Carey is someone who I can lean on and learn from for years to come as I pave my way as a woman in sports. “I hope Carey has come to see how much knowledge she has to offer to students who are looking to work in sports. She is extremely supportive and I believe students, especially women on campus, would benefit from hearing about her journey in the world of sports,” Rafferty said. Eggen said she has learned so much from Rafferty. “She is incredibly determined and has the potential to achieve great things in sports management, marketing, and photography. She’s already launched her own photography business and is actively planning for its expansion. It’s been a rewarding experience to watch her grow, learn, and take bold steps toward her goals.” Eggen said, “I hope she has learned the importance of patience, especially in a fast-paced world of athletics. I also hope she’s gained a deeper understanding of the role of women in sports and the value of carving out space for herself in this industry.” Eggen praised Spezia’s effort in creating the program. She said Spezia is “consistently finding ways to recognize students and help them grow and learn. She is providing students with growth opportunities that bring faculty, staff, and students together.” Caspian Barrett, class of ’25, was paired with Sara Gallegos, executive director of the Center for Student Experience and Career Development. Barrett said, “So far it’s been really heartwarming, the get-togethers and meetings are the highlights of my week. They feel very personal and heartwarming, we all sit together and talk to each other, sharing coffee and snacks talking about our life experiences and our passions.” Barrett said the program is important to her because, “the women in my immediate family didn’t go to college so it’s incredibly reassuring to talk to people who have graduated and become successful in their fields.” She added, “Sara and her colleagues have been incredibly helpful in walking me through next steps for post graduation and looking at graduate schools.” Gallegos said, “I think any student out there needs someone they can count on to just talk to, bounce ideas off of, ask any question, figure out their path, etc. I think a lot of our students now need more guidance in terms of how to interact with the world and build skills. Having someone who you can count on that won’t judge any question you have is important. The trust built between a mentor and mentee helps the student find their place in the world.” Evelyn Campbell, class of ’25, was paired with Erin Jerrett, director of equal opportunity. Jerrett said, “Evelyn is extremely bright and highly motivated. I do not doubt that she will go on to do great things in both her life and career.” She said she hopes Campbell knows, “That it’s OK, not to have a clear plan or path. As long as you keep an open mind, opportunities will present themselves.” Jerrett said, “Every woman, regardless of age, can benefit from having both informal and formal mentors. In our busy lives, we often forget to pause and reflect on our journeys and the lasting impressions others have left on us. Speaking with Evelyn allowed me to step back and appreciate the impact that other women have had on my life.” She added, “When women come together, they offer a unique kind of support that’s hard to find anywhere else. Whether it’s career guidance, goal setting, or networking, the power of having someone to talk to and share ideas with is invaluable.”
[ Editor's Note: Sophia Harris is the Editor-in-Chief and Adrien Gobin is a Photos & Design Editor for The Gatepost. ]