Leah Clarke offers advice for young women

Leah Clarke, assistant director of Messiah’s Graduate Program in Counseling, offers advice for young women in recent article

During Women’s History Month, PSECU, a Pennsylvania-based credit union, interviewed nine women leaders across Pennsylvania about their advice for young women.

One of Messiah College’s faculty members was included in the roundup. Dr. Leah Clarke is the assistant director of the graduate program in counseling and currently serves as the elected chair of Messiah’s Community of Educators and Senate.

The overarching lesson gleaned from these women is to find mentors to learn from and a support system to lean on as you progress throughout your career.

“We all need and deserve support,” said Clarke. “We thrive and are successful when we work in environments where we are valued and encouraged.”

Ellen Kyzer, the CEO of the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, who was also interviewed for the roundup, encourages young people to do the same: “Especially as you start out in your career, build those friendships so you consistently have those influences to coach you and advise you if you come into difficult situations.”

Jessica Meyers, the president and owner of JEM Group, talked about starting her career and how mentors played an important part: “When I began my career, I knew I needed to make my own breaks. No one was going to pave the way for me or give me a seat at the table. I had to earn it. For me, identifying mentors and champions, getting involved in the community, and embracing challenges were very important as I built my business.”

Volunteering in your community was echoed in Jeri Sims’, the CEO for the Red Cross Central Pennsylvania Region, top three guiding principles:

1) Find your passion
2) Know no limits
3) Volunteer

“There is so much we can learn from women who are leading in government, business, and non-profits,” PSECU wrote on their blog. “That’s why we interviewed some of the top women leaders in Pennsylvania on how to overcome roadblocks and make a lasting positive impact on our society.”

You can read all Dr. Clark’s full interview on PSECU’s blog here.