Women’s Council Scholar Attends Innovative, Comprehensive Educational Convention in Boston

Leaving her small town of Collinsville, Mississippi, Evan Grace Branstetter arrived at the University of Mississippi with uncertain expectations.

However, as an Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy (OMWC) Scholar, Branstetter quickly discovered that this highly acclaimed scholarship program offered various unexpected opportunities for her to delve deeply into her academic interests and take her places she never imagined.

The Women’s Council’s Global Leadership Circle (GLC) program enabled Branstetter to attend a recent American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, .

Majoring in communication sciences and disorders and minoring in Spanish and American sign language interpreting, she said the convention, considered the world’s most comprehensive education event for speech, language and hearing professionals and students, exceeded her expectations.

“I had never been to Boston, and being able to go there and meet up with some of my communication sciences and disorders faculty members was exciting because I got to network with them at the convention,” she said. “I learned about complex issues and the latest research in the field and witnessed the innovations currently taking place.”

It also impacted her in other ways.

“This was my first time in a big city outside the South by myself,” Branstetter said. “Traveling by myself was something that really held me back from using the GLC originally due to my understanding that Global Leadership Circle resources were to be used for studying abroad.”

Since she was pursuing a minor in Spanish, Branstetter had wanted to travel to Latin America to experience first-hand those cultures that, while unfamiliar, fascinated her.

“But due to my anxiety and the current political atmosphere in some parts of Latin America, it was not feasible for me to make such a trip,” she said.

Branstetter decided to go before the Women’s Council board to inquire whether GLC funds could be used for her to take a trip to this highly acclaimed convention that supported her major and career interests.

“My request to the Women’s Council was met with open arms, especially from former OMWC chair Suzan Thames, who had been to this conference when she was studying speech and hearing as an undergraduate at Ole Miss!”

Providing OMWC scholars with the vital resources they need to have transformative experiences like Branstetter’s trip to Boston is precisely the purpose of the Global Leadership Circle, said Karen Moore, a member of the Ole Miss Women’s Council.

The GLC supports experiential learning opportunities by providing OMWC Scholars with financial assistance for internships in the United States and around the world. It also provides resources for study-abroad programs and trips to academically influential conferences and conventions.

“The Women’s Council is dedicated to expanding the horizons of our scholars while encouraging them to be caring and compassionate leaders,” Moore said. “The Global Leadership Circle program is one of the most important tools we have to assist us with these efforts.”

Branstetter, who is now a senior, said that when it comes to her experience, the GLC and OMWC have certainly succeeded in these efforts.

“Having this kind of support in all aspects of my college career, especially academically, has significantly boosted my confidence and ability to thrive,” she said. “The difference between freshman me and senior me is incredible. I have gained confidence and professionalism that I never thought I could achieve without the Ole Miss Women’s Council.

“I’m enormously grateful for the opportunities I’ve received and the opportunities that will be available to me after I graduate,” Branstetter said. “This would not have been possible without the resources I’ve received and the many supportive and influential people I’ve met and gotten to know because of the Women’s Council and GLC.”

To learn more about supporting the OMWC’s GLC, contact Suzanne Helveston, program director, at shelveston@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2956.

To learn more about the GLC, visit Global Leadership Circle – Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy.

By Georgia Kate Daniels/UM Development Office