Women in Leadership (WIL) is a student organization that is centered around making a safe space for diverse women to come together, learn about important issues and go out to share their experiences with others. Their mission is to empower and inform those who are willing to raise social awareness about the social, political and economic injustices surrounding women and gender today. 

The student organization was founded in 2017 by Ana-Sofia Gonzales and has been at UTSA ever since. WIL gives women and non-binary individuals an outlet while also teaching them leadership skills. For the first few weeks of the Fall 2021 semester, they were a strictly online platform in order to align with the university’s guidelines. Once students started returning to campus for in-person classes, the organization started making the slow transition into safely meeting in-person with an option to attend remotely. The transition was not completely smooth, but after several hybrid meetings the organization managed to nail down a consistent system that worked for both remote and in-person attendees. By doing so, WIL was able to make accommodations and be inclusive for its members.

Thus far, WIL has hosted major events such as a collaboration with the Honors College focusing on mental health and wellbeing. At the event, speakers were invited to discuss important social issues like imposter syndrome, coping techniques and mental health resources that are available on campus. WIL has been hosting events like this one all semester and members are loving every second of it because they are shedding light on major social concerns and bringing awareness to them all. Aside from the Honors College, WIL has collaborated with other student organizations — the Black Student Union and Women in Medicine — to talk about women, and other minorities, pursuing careers and racial justice. 

WIL is ready to welcome new members, now that the organization feels things are shifting more towards normality with in-person activities. Sarah Skinner, the Treasurer of WIL, gave insight into the values that defines the organization by saying “We really strive to make WIL a place for women to feel at home and nurtured. It’s a culture of support and understanding; we really pride ourselves on that.” 

NOTE – This article previously mislabeled a contributor.