Thanks to support from Gettysburg College’s Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department, Nora Hafford ’28 was able to build career-ready skills and connect with peers and professionals in her field of interest by attending a professional conference that complemented her academic studies.
Nora Hafford ’28 developed her leadership potential last summer during the NEW (National Education for Women) Leadership Pennsylvania summer institute at Chatham University’s Pennsylvania Center for Women & Politics. Hafford joined students from colleges and universities across the commonwealth during this six-day leadership and public policy institute designed to educate and empower students to pursue future political participation and leadership opportunities.
Hafford, a women, gender, and sexuality studies (WGS) and political science double major from Durham, Maine, said she was able to participate in the conference thanks to support from her advisor, WGS Prof. Nathalie Lebon, and Lin Myers, WGS academic administrative assistant. Both Lebon and Myers helped Hafford secure funds from the Susan Garrison ’74 Fund for WGS Students, which supports students participating in meaningful co-curricular activity relevant to the WGS field.
“I like to forward these types of opportunities to our email list of majors and minors in WGS whenever I can,” Lebon said. “I am thrilled that Nora availed herself of this opportunity. She is a very promising WGS and political science double major. In fact, her interest in the conference is what led to a conversation she and I had about her majoring in WGS.”
According to the conference’s website, the program addresses the under-representation of women in the political arena by exploring the role of women in politics and policymaking in Pennsylvania. Each year, approximately 35 students from Pennsylvania institutions of higher education are selected to attend. NEW Leadership Pennsylvania is part of the national network of NEW Leadership programs developed by the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University.
During the conference, Hafford collaborated with her peers during various leadership workshops and panel discussions hosted by women leaders. Experiences during the conference included visits to Harrisburg, where participants met with female lawmakers, Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices, and local school board leaders.
“We talked about structural inequalities that have presented barriers for women obtaining leadership roles,” she said, which parallels discussions she’s had in her WGS and political science courses at Gettysburg. “The conference helped us understand how to get involved as leaders in our communities.”
Reflecting on her experience at the NEW Leadership Pennsylvania summer institute, Hafford believes she increased her confidence, communication and leadership skills, and professional networking abilities. She believes that developing these career-ready skills now will help her in the future as she considers pursuing future employment opportunities in the legal field.
To further her leadership development on campus, Hafford recently joined Alpha Delta Pi and is participating in philanthropy and sisterhood-related activities. Within the town of Gettysburg, Hafford is involved with projects through South Central Community Action Programs (SCAAP). Next semester, she intends to volunteer with the YWCA Hanover’s Safe Home initiative.
“The conference helped us understand how to get involved as leaders in our communities.”
– Nora Hafford ’28
Hafford said understanding the importance of community was her most significant takeaway from participating in the NEW Leadership Pennsylvania summer institute. “All of us who attended are now such a close-knit group. It’s only been a couple of months since this experience, but I can 100% see myself reaching out to them in five or 10 years and still having them in my circle,” she said. “We support each other and root for each other.”
That support is also a hallmark of the Gettysburg College community, which Hafford said has helped her realize her leadership potential.
“Everything at Gettysburg is so personal,” she said, “and everyone wants to help you find the best fit, find the opportunities, and find your place here.”
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By Michael Vyskocil
Photography courtesy of NEW Leadership Pennsylvania
Posted: 12/02/25