Elect Her marks a milestone at Central

By Savanna Yelling '25

Students gathered in the Community Room at Henry Barnard Hall on March 6 for Central’s 10th annual Elect Her leadership training, a one-day program designed to encourage and prepare college women to run for student government and political office.

Elect Her is a national program created by the nonprofit Running Start and the American Association of University Women to train college women to run for office.

The workshop, hosted by the Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center, gives participants hands-on experience with campaign messaging, networking, and identifying the issues they care about. 

Jacqueline Cobbina-Boivin, director of the Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center, said hosting the event each year reflects the university’s commitment to preparing students to be future leaders.

“It’s critical that Central hosts this dedicated to female leadership and makes sure students are in position to run for government, be CEO of organizations, and on education boards,” Cobbina-Boivin said.

In the United States, women only hold about 28 percent of the seats in Congress. Globally, women hold about 27 percent of parliamentary seats, according to UN Women. 
Cobbina-Boivin said the goal of the program is to equip participants with the confidence and skills needed to pursue leadership opportunities.

“The young women who signed up for this already recognized that they are on their way to leadership,” Cobbina-Boivin said. “Now they have further tools, the skills.”

Jessica Kelly, chief of staff at Running Start, facilitated the training and guided participants through exercises focused on leadership, networking, and campaign strategy.

Participants spent part of the workshop discussing representation, inclusivity, and community concerns. They also worked through exercises designed to help them translate those concerns into potential campaign platforms.

The program also featured remarks from Connecticut State Rep. Hilda Santiago, who spoke about the significance of civic engagement and mentorship.

“It’s so important to expose a lot of young women to what’s out there for them, especially in politics and campaigning on board and commissions in the community so that they see that we get involved so they should be able to get involved,” Santiago said.

She encouraged students to view leadership as something attainable and rooted in community involvement.

“If I can do it, they can do it,” Santiago said.

Throughout the training, participants shared their personal motivations for leadership.

“There’s a saying that leaders aren’t born they’re made,” Cobbina-Boivin said. “And I think this is what this is about.”

Elect Her at Central was sponsored by Running Start, the American Association of University Women-Connecticut Chapter, the Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center, the Student Government Association, the Office of Student Activities/Student Leadership Development and the CCSU Women Involved Now Club.

Santiago said she hopes programs like Elect Her help women recognize that leadership is within reach.

“Become a good listener, get involved and always follow your dream, nothing is impossible,” she said.