upcoming events
Register for all of our programs here.
Mindsets: Helping Students Fulfill Their Potential
Dr. Carol S. Dweck, Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology, Stanford University
Thursday, September 19, 7:00 - 8:15 in Sweeney Auditorium, Sage Hall
Mindsets affect your motivation and achievement. A "fixed" mindset can turn you off to learning and make you not even want to try. It can also make you less resilient in the face of setbacks. Dr. Carol Dweck will show how the wrong kinds of praise (praising intelligence!) can create a fixed mindset, and how developing a growth mindset can make you more challenge-seeking and resilient. Her research has implications for women's achievement in areas in which they confront negative
stereotypes, and she will examine that as well.
Sponsored by Smith College:
Education & Child Study
Psychology
Urban Education Initiative
Wurtele Center for Work & Life
Fort Hill CECE
Smith College Campus School
Also sponsored by:
Jackson Street School
Springfield Renaissance School
Mind & Life Institute
Redefining Success
Friday, September 20, 4:00 - 5:30 in the Alumnae House Conference Hall
This panel will feature alumnae whose careers have taken many turns. They will each talk about "success" and how its definition has changed for them over time.
Co-sponsored by the Lazarus Center for Career Development, the Office of Alumnae Relations and the Wurtele Center for Work & Life
Elizabeth Miller ’81 Lecture on Risk-Taking and Women’s Leadership
Moderated by President Kathleen McCartney
Wednesday, September 25, 4:45 - 6:00
in Ford Hall, Room 204
Join alumnae Jeannie Cho Lee '90 and Annie Morita '90, who will talk about their choices and challenges since leaving Smith. Annie Morita is Chief of Staff at Oriental DreamWorks Film & Television in Shanghai, China. Jeannie Cho Lee is founder of asianpalate.com, a site that aims to lead intelligent and insightful discussions about food and wine in Asia.
(If you’d like to arrive early, a reception will begin at 4:00.)
"I don’t want to be 'that girl,' but . . ."
Speaking-Up in Class (and How to De-Stress About It)
Jessica Bacal, Director
and
Ally Einbinder '10, Program Coordinator Wurtele Center for Work & Life
Monday, September 23, 4:15 - 5:30
in CC 103/104
For tips on speaking-up in class, visit our toolbox page.
"I want my professors to know who I am" - How to Develop Meaningful, Lasting Professional Relationships with your Professors
Jessica Bacal, Director
and
Ally Einbinder '10, Program Coordinator Wurtele Center for Work & Life
Wednesday, October 2, 4:15 - 5:30
in CC 103/104
For tips on e-mailing and meeting with professors, visit our toolbox page.
Build Your "Inner Resume" with Rachel Simmons
A workshop series in everyday leadership skills with Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out and The Curse of the Good Girl
"No offense but . . ." A Workshop on Offering and Receiving Criticism
Monday, September 16, 4:15 - 6:30 in Neilson Browsing Room
It’s Broke and I Need to Fix It: Repairing a Friendship
Monday, September 30, 4:15 - 5:30 in Neilson Browsing Room
Brag Isn’t a Four Letter Word (Srsly!)
Monday, October 7, 4:15 - 5:30 in Neilson Browsing Room
It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It
Monday, October 28, 4:15 - 5:30 in Neilson Browsing Room
Eat, Write, Talk: A Getaway for Juniors and Seniors
January 19 - 22, 2014
In this selective, three-and-a-half day January-term course, the Women's Narratives Project takes juniors and seniors on a retreat to talk and write about themes inherent in making life decisions, including perfectionism, risk-taking, tolerating failure and family narratives of success. The workshop is led by Dean of the College Maureen A. Mahoney and Dean of Religious Life Jennifer Walters. An application will be posted in October 2013. Read past student narratives here.
Past Workshops & Talks
The below section features highlighted workshops and talks that were listed in every previous "Passport" series.
Your First Five Years Out of Smith: Life Lessons from Recent Smith Alumnae
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Leadership for Rebels: A Recipe for Courage and Personal Authority
A dinner series with Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out and The Curse of the Good Girl
These workshops took place during fall 2012 and spring 2013. Please check back in August 2013 to find dates and times for the next academic year.
Build Your "Inner Resume" Series with Rachel Simmons
"No offense but..." A Workshop On Offering and Responding to Criticism
February 4, 2013
"Nice weather we're having!" The Art & Science of Small Talk and Why You Need to Know How to Do It
February 11, 2013
A Workshop on Self-Promotion for People Who Hate to Brag
March 4, 2013
Send Your Inner Critic on Vacation - How Positive Self-Talk Can Help You To Achieve Your Goals
March 11, 2013
Make Yourself Heard in the Media
with The Op-Ed Project
February 15, 2013 at Mount Holyoke College
The OpEd Project's mission is to increase the range of voices and quality of ideas we hear in the world so that the best ideas - regardless of where they come from - will have a chance to be heardand to shape society. A starting goal is to increase the number of women thought leaders in key commentary forums to a tipping point.
This event was co-sponsored by the Smith College Center for Work & Life and Mount Holyoke's Weissman Center for Leadership.
Underrepresented Voices in the Media - Narratives of Speaking Up
February 7, 2013
A moderated panel discussion with . . .
-
Farai Chideya, novelist,
multi-media journalist and radio host
-
Rinku Sen, author and activist, Executive Director of the Applied Research Center and editor of Colorlines Magazine
-
Judith Warner, bestselling author of Perfect Madness and We’ve Got Issues
The Brain and Emotional Intelligence: New Insights
A lecture by psychologist Dr. Daniel Goleman
November 29, 2012
Dr. Goleman's talk focused on new insights into the brain and emotional intelligence. He addressed the social and emotional circuitry of the brain from age four to adult. He addressed key developmental stages and what children, youth and adults need to learn at each stage. He also discussed how curricula in social-emotional learning may use developmental science to design lessons for students that focus on enhancing those developmental needs and discussed such programs in terms of neuroplasticity.
Risk-Taking and Its Rewards:
A Conversation Between Sisters
The Inaugural Elizabeth Miller '81 Lecture
on Risk-Taking and Women's Leadership
September 27, 2012
"So what are you doing after college?"
A Workshop on Creating a Career With Purpose
Lara Galinsky, Senior Vice President of Echoing Green and author of Work on Purpose
March 8, 2012
In this workshop, students learned to develop a framework for creating a career that is both right for them AND has a positive impact on the world. Workshop activities were lively and dynamic, featuring group sharing and personal reflection. Each activity was designed to help students identify their gifts and abilities as well as what moves them most deeply. By the end of the workshop, students were introduced to frameworks and methodologies for creating personal and societal change, based on best practices of some of the world's most successful change-makers.
Ask for It: How to Use Negotiation to Get the Recognition That You Deserve
February 10, 2012
A workshop with Sara Laschever,
co-author of Ask For It: How Women Can Use Negotiation To Get What They Really Want and Women Don't Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation -- and Positive Strategies for Change
This event was co-sponsored by the Smith College Center for Work & Life and Mount Holyoke's Weissman Center for Leadership, and was preceded by a “teach-you-how-to-network” brunch with students from Smith, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, Amherst, and Hampshire.
Check Your 'Good Girl at the Door: Why Self-Awareness, Courage and Clear Communication are Leadership Skills for Your Generation
A talk by Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out and The Curse of the Good Girl
September 15, 2011
Do It Anyway: Joining the New Generation of Activists
A talk by Courtney Martin, author of Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists
April 13, 2011
Leadership for Rebels: A Recipe for Courage and Personal Authority
A four-part workshop series led by best-selling author and educator Rachel Simmons.
October 2010 and February - March 2011
Leadership for Rebels Reunion Dinner - April 6, 2011
Students who participated in the October 2010 and
February - March 2011 Leadership for Rebels workshop.
Rachel Simmons with Leadership for Rebels partipants (from left to right) Molly Sauvain
'11, Sunny Zeng '14, and Emma Brown '13.
Cooking Healthy Meals on a Budget
A workshop led by Smith alumnae Rachel Pryzby '09 and Hannah Cohen '09 on February 12, 2011
Workshop instructor Rachel Przyby '09 teaches students a lesson in kitchen knife safety.
Madelyn Forden '14 and Esther Shi '14 help prepare a curry chicken dish.
Imogene Williams '13 and Kelsea Thornton keep an eye on the stir-fry.
How to Change a Tire and Look Cool Doing It
A workshop led by Hannah Durrant, Assistant Director of Residence Life, on April 21, 2011
Hannah Durrant, Assisant Director of Residence Life, teaches students how to change a tire.
past "work, life, & reali-tea" panels
"Work, life & reali-tea" is a monthly tea-time panel discussion series developed by members of the Wurtele Center for Work & Life Student Advisory Board.
Failure Stories: What I Got Out of Getting it Wrong
March 28, 2013
Panelists:
Michael Thurston, Professor of English Language & Literature and Director of American Studies Program
Jessica Bacal, Director of the Wurtele Center for Work & Life
Ada Chupp 'AC
Un-presenting the Major: Does your major define you? Does it define your future?
March 1, 2013
Panliests:
Annie Cohen, Area Coordinator, Office of Student Affairs
Janice Schell, Assistant Director, Lazarus Center for Career Development
Alexandra Ross-Reid '08, Smith alumna and Corporate Communications & Support Services Manager at Digital Development Management, Inc.
My Family Doesn't Want to Hear About My Partner: Home & Out For The Holidays
November 9, 2012
Panelists:
Tina Wildhagen, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Ryan Ambuter
'04
Corynn Stoltenberg 'AC
Does Work-Life Balance Exist?
October 19, 2012
Panelists:
Tom Riddell, Lecturer and Professor Emeritus, and former Dean of First-Year Class
Kate Queeney, Professor of Chemistry
Riche Barnes, Professor of Afro-American Studies
What do you bring with you to Smith?
What do you leave behind?
September 28, 2012
Panelists:
Dahna Black '13, Dannia Guzman '15, Alida Pelli '13
and Monika Valecic '12
Personal Relationships and Decision-Making
April 20, 2012
Panelists:
Kevin Quashie, Associate Professor of Afro-American Studies
Julie Ohotnicky, Dean of Students
Yenisleidy Simon 'AC, Psychology Major
This Isn't What I Planned:
Unusual Routes and Paths to Success
March 30, 2012
Panelists:
Elizabeth Pryor, Assistant Professor, History
Boe Morgan AC '04
Su Meck AC '14
Where Do You Do Most of Your Learning?
February 24, 2012
Panelists:
Jennifer Guglielmo, Associate Professor of History
Oona Coy, Co-owner of Town Farm, a Northampton CSA
Bridget Mientka 'AC
Border-Crossings: What is it like to leave Smith and go home for the Holidays?
November 18, 2011
Panelists:
Floyd Cheung, Associate Professor of English
Jennifer Walters, Dean of of Religious and Spiritual Life
Judy Lei '11
How Has Smith Changed Your Life?
October 28, 2011
Panelists:
Carrie Baker, Assistant Professor in the Study of Women and Gender
Ana Gorman, Program Coordinator for Diversity & Equity and Legal Services
Erika Laquer, Dean of Sophomore, Juniors and Ada Comstock Scholars
Are All Smithies Perfect? A Real Conversation About Perfectionism, Mistakes, and Resilience
September 23, 2011
Panelists:
Sonia Alves '10
Patrcia DiBartolo, Professor of Psychology
Borjana Mikic, Professor of Engineering
How to Find Your Passion and Follow It
March 25, 2011
Panelists:
Nanci Young,
College Archivist
Anne Leone, Professor of French Studies
Suleiman Mourad, Professor of Religion
wcwl news archive
Teaching Students to 'Lean In,' Inside Higher Ed, March 13, 2013.
How to Repair the Gender Pay Gap? Teach Negotiation Skills in College, The Huffington Post, November 8, 2012.
Teaching Smith Students About Life Beyond the Course Book,
The New York Times blog "The Choice," February 6, 2012.
Use Your Voice: Speaking Up in Social Media,
The Sophian, February 14, 2013.
Food for Thought: A Conversation About Food and Cultural Identity Prompts Collaborative Efforts, The Sophian, February 14, 2013.
Center for Work and Life Seeks to Incorporate Social Justice, The Sophian, November 15, 2012.
CWL Kicks Off "How to be an Adult" Workshops,
The Sophian, April 4, 2012.
CWL Hosts "Reali-tea" on Paths to Success,
The Sophian, April 4, 2012.
Jacobson Center Leads Discussion on Perfectionism,
The Sophian, March 15, 2012.
Center for Work and Life Introduces New "Toolbox,"
The Sophian, February 9, 2012.
Annals of Academia, Daily Hampshire Gazette,
February 8, 2012. (PDF)
New Guide Offers Answers Not Found Elsewhere,
The Grecourt Gate, January 26, 2012.
Center for Work & Life to host talk on perfectionism,
The Sophian, September 21, 2011.
Girls, Northampton shopkeeper join forces to reclaim beauty,
Daily Hampshire Gazette, July 28, 2011.
'Leaders in their own lives': Students get coached in taking charge, Smith Alumnae Quarterly, Summer 2011.
Toward a fulfilling life, Smith Alumnae Quarterly, Winter 2010.
CWL and Rachel Simmons nurture "unconventional leaders," The Sophian, September 16, 2010.
Trip of a Lifetime: College helps students prepare for life on the outside, Currents, May/June 2010. (PDF)
