Summer in Massachusetts ~ Women's Academy for International Leadership Development

     Being a part of WAILD**, the Woman’s Academy for International Leadership Development, truly acted as the academic turning point in my life. Taking place on the Mount Holyoke College campus in South Hadley, MA, WAILD gave me just a glimpse of what life at an all-women’s college would be like; it brought women from not only all around the country, but China as well, under the same roof. We spent a month together during the summer living the Moho life; taking classes, working together to solve world problems, walking around campus, eating at Blanchard, and even traveling throughout New England. It was a completely new opportunity that I had never experienced before; the idea that other students were not sources of competition, but rather, each separate entities that would supply me with new lessons about myself and those around me, and that only by working together could we change the world to be a better place. I began to realize that I had been going about academics the wrong way throughout my public schooling. Learning is not about knowing more than the person sitting next to you, but perhaps, accepting the idea that the person next to you knows more than you do, and that it is your responsibility to learn from them. WAILD was the turning point in my life, the opportunity that allowed me to see outside of the conventional walls of the stereotypical college experience, with images of life on a large, co-ed campus acting as my blinders. 
      I am so lucky to have had the chance to be a part of this amazing summer program. WAILD made me realize how passionate I am about not just all-women’s schools, but Mount Holyoke itself. I can say full-heartedly that it is because of WAILD that my senior year was my most successful year yet, as my inspiration for consistently working hard was centered on the idea that Mount Holyoke was the only school at which I could see myself attending. After just one week at WAILD, I remember calling my mom on the phone, completely overjoyed with the realization that Mount Holyoke was absolutely the only school for me. If it hadn’t been for WAILD, for the amazingly close friends that were made, the countless ridiculous laughs that were had, the inspiring and unforgettable lessons that were learned, I would not be here today, as a proud member of the Mount Holyoke Class of 2017. I am forever grateful for having WAILD in my life; it transformed me into a learning scholar, a hungry traveler, and developing uncommon woman. 

**WAILD was a college prep program for high school girls that took place in summer of 2012 on the Mount Holyoke College campus

Cassidy, Massachusetts.