Hillary Rodham Clinton once said, “Women are the world’s most underused resource.” Hannah Schlacter, University of Illinois sophomore, agrees with this statement. She follows those words and uses them as inspiration to inform girls about how to reach their full potential on campus – and off – through a new organization on called Lean In.
Lean In is a national organization that started with one TED Talk. Sheryl Sandberg, author of “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead,” hosted this talk about how women are held back in the workforce. The overwhelming positive response to her hour-long talk, motivated her to write this book, which then motivated the country to support this ambitious mission to restart feminism – especially in the workforce.
Schlacter follows in Sandberg’s footsteps and has started a Lean In chapter at the University of Illinois. She plans to bring Sandberg’s dream of women standing up for what they want by participating in “Lean In circles.” In the circles, women will discuss a wide variety of topics ranging from gender equality to simply how their weeks are going. The core purpose is for each girl to have peer support to assist her as she strives to reach her full potential.
Schlacter’s drive all started with Sandberg’s book. Her dad purchased his wife the book for Mother’s Day and Schlacter quickly got her hands on it. After reading it, Schlacter stated: “Everything in it resonated with me.”
Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Schlacter experienced a culture where the mothers who tended to their children shared the same last names. Her mother was different. She resented her mom’s career because it didn’t fit the “social norm.” However, as time showed, her mother became the breadwinner of her family – the only reason why her family survived financially.
The resent Schlacter held slowly turned to admiration, “I realized the importance of her having a career to support my family because without that, I don’t know where my family would be.”
Last summer, Schlacter attended a Lean In leadership summit conference in Palo Alto. There she participated in workshops that helped her with communication, inter-personal and leadership development. Towards the end of the convention, Sheryl Sandberg expressed that each and every young women has the potential to change the world. Those words are the fire behind Schlacter’s actions in starting a U of I Lean In chapter.
Schlacter rounded up a motivated executive board composed of ten bright ambitious ladies who are ready to spread empowerment across campus. The club is a low time commitment, however there are plenty of opportunities to become a leader.
Sarah Mnushkin, a sophomore at U of I, is part of Hannah’s executive board. She took this opportunity to be a leader: “After reading the book “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg, I was really inspired to get involved with the organization, so when I heard my friend Hannah was starting a chapter on campus I knew that it was something I wanted to be a part of!”
Lean in held it’s first meeting in October with about 40 interested women in attendance with interest and awareness growing weekly. Schlacter aspires to show women they can kick butt in their career and raise a family – just like her own mother.
“I want my female classmates to understand that they need to be able to support themselves and their families one day. There’s still a lot of progress and work to be done for women in the workplace to ensure equality,” Hannah finished.
Lean in to change the world here at UIUC. You can find out more information about Lean In at U of I by visiting their Facebook page or by contacting Hannah Schlacter at Hbschlac@gmail.com.