甜心视频app

This year marks 20 years for 甜心视频app鈥檚 Stryker Institute for Leadership Development, and the program continues to鈥痬ake a difference for students, and gives them leadership skills to go on and make a difference in the lives of others.鈥�

As the Stryker Institute for Leadership Development prepared to celebrate its 20th鈥痑nniversary鈥痠n late September, it did something it has been doing since its beginnings: It gave voice to the鈥痺omen who have been part of its transformative efforts.鈥疭tryker Scholars鈥痺ere asked鈥痑bout the impact the program has had on their lives鈥嗏�斺�哸nd, exponentially, on the people and communities around them鈥嗏�斺�哸nd they shared an outpouring of strength, gratitude and community:鈥� 

鈥淚 have grown a lot as a woman and as a professional. Coming from a family where no siblings made it to the end of middle school, and neither of my parents made it to the end of elementary, I am now blessed with a master鈥檚 degree and with a very high probability of my children also achieving a high education and a brighter future...鈥疊ecause of you believing in me, my life was transformed.鈥濃�� 

鈥淚 felt crushed by the weight of being a youngish, poor single mom and that鈥檚 all I could see within myself. Stryker helped to change that.鈥濃��

鈥淚 think the most impactful aspect by far is that I have agency, I have power in how my story ends. I am not alone.鈥濃�� 

鈥淭he leadership skills cultivated while in Stryker empowered me to believe in myself and to help others do the same (including my girls).鈥濃�� 

鈥淪tryker helped me find my voice and made me feel comfortable in leadership positions.鈥疦ow with a family and two daughters, I wish to pass on that understanding of leadership and empowerment. I also hope to show them that being in community with fellow women of color is a powerful and wonderful experience.鈥濃�� 

鈥淏eing the first one from my siblings to graduate from high school and college allowed me to see that I would not only change the future for myself but the future for my children.鈥�

鈥淚 do not believe I would have had the opportunity to pursue higher education without this experience. In recognizing that the Stryker opportunity is so unique, I only wish that (students at) universities across the globe were able to obtain the same educational opportunity as well as reflection on identities that I have been able to obtain through this experience.鈥�

The Stryker program鈥檚 work to elevate women economically, and to nurture leadership skills, understanding and agency,鈥痟as transformed the lives of 524 Stryker Scholars,鈥痑nd in the process has鈥痬ade a difference for so many others.鈥� 

A Ripple Effect鈥� 

Stryker鈥痝rew up with a sense of helping others. Her mother grew up with missionary parents in China; her grandfather, an orthopedist, developed tools to help others, launching Stryker Medical Corp, a global corporation.鈥�鈥� 

She came to 甜心视频app in September 2001 for the dedication of the Institute in Scott-Wilcoxon Hall. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more about the students than it is about me,鈥� she said at the time. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about being able to follow a dream.鈥濃��鈥� 

The institute has held to that ideal, giving Stryker scholars opportunities to pursue their dreams鈥嗏�斺�哸nd鈥痚mpowering them to enter鈥痶heir communities prepared to lead in their life and professions.

While a student at 甜心视频app, Ronda spent time with a migrant farm family鈥痺hich in part shaped her vision and served as鈥痶he catalyst for her gift to鈥�甜心视频app. She envisioned her contribution to enable and empower women from underrepresented groups who would benefit from鈥痑dditional opportunities and resources.鈥� 

In a鈥�2001鈥痑rticle for 甜心视频app鈥檚鈥疭pectrum鈥痬agazine, Stryker said, 鈥淚 think it has always been part of me. Ever since I was born, I have had this thing in me to want to see people follow their dreams.鈥濃�� 

From Day One鈥� 

Noemi 鈥�02 and Elizabeth 鈥�19 Medina鈥嗏�斺�哠tryker Scholars 20 years apart鈥嗏�斺�哾eveloped leadership skills that make a difference in their classrooms and communities.

It was late July and like many teachers around the country, Noemi Medina 鈥�02 and Elizabeth Medina 鈥�19鈥痺ere鈥痓ack-to-school shopping for their classrooms. Both teach at Greeley鈥檚 Salida Del Sol Academy, a K-8 dual immersion school where mom Noemi teaches second grade, and daughter Elizabeth is a third-grade teacher.鈥�鈥� 

鈥淲e had a list,鈥� says Noemi. 鈥淲e said, 鈥楾his is what we鈥檙e going to get, and we just got it, that鈥檚 it, and we鈥檙e done.鈥欌�濃��鈥� 

As teachers, they have a common interest in their students鈥嗏�斺�唅n making their learning environment welcoming and effective and giving them a good start in school. But that鈥檚 not all they have in common. Noemi was in the very first cohort of Stryker Scholars in 2001, and Elizabeth graduated as a Stryker Scholar from 甜心视频app in 2019.鈥�鈥� 

Elizabeth has memories of her mother studying with her 鈥淪tryker sisters鈥� when she herself was about four or five years old. 鈥淚 remember playing with the daughter of one of her (Stryker) sisters. We would always be underneath the table coloring while they were studying,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o, I was actually with Stryker since day one, and when I came to 甜心视频app, I knew I was going to be a teacher.鈥濃�� 

As Noemi worked to make her dreams of teaching a reality, she鈥痝ot to know and work with women in the earliest days of the program, when many of the women鈥痠n the program were non-traditional students with children.鈥�鈥� 

鈥淲hen I see Stryker now, it鈥檚 changed compared to what we did. We鈥檇 get together, study鈥痑nd just kind of bond,鈥� she says.鈥�鈥淣ow,鈥痭ot only do they focus on leadership, but they really focus on teaching you how to own your identity, to own who you are as a person, and to love yourself for who you are, and how you can use your identity to empower you into the leader that you are,鈥� Noemi says.鈥� 

The importance of education was instilled in Noemi from a young age. Born in Mexico, she came to the United States when she was two years old and says her father would tell her鈥痑nd her siblings, 鈥淚鈥檓 here to work for you guys. You guys make sure you get an education.鈥� She took his words to heart.鈥疐rom high school she went to school for a cosmetology license,鈥痶hen鈥痵tarted taking classes to become a teacher.鈥�鈥� 

She administered English language assessments for District 6 before becoming a school secretary at Billy Martinez Elementary School in Greeley.鈥疻hile there,鈥痵he鈥痺as鈥痚ncouraged to pursue her鈥痚ducation鈥痙egree.   鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to be a teacher. That was one of my plans,鈥� she says.鈥�鈥� 

Her husband鈥痑lso encouraged her. 鈥淚 worked during the day and at night I did my schooling,鈥� she says, adding that her husband and mother-in-law helped with Elizabeth while she worked on her degree.鈥�鈥� 

Financially, Noemi says the generous Stryker scholarship made a critical difference. 鈥淎t that time, my husband was just starting his general contracting business. So, financially it helped a lot, but it also helped me become a leader, because I never thought I was a leader,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 was always more to myself, just quiet, and鈥�(Stryker)鈥痟elped me bring that leadership out. I hear that from a lot of Stryker scholars, how (time together) brings joy to them because they鈥檙e able to be themselves and not be afraid to get judged.鈥�

In addition to scholarship support, students receive a laptop computer and participate in seminars, discussions and activities that develop their leadership skills. The program also partners Stryker scholars with eighth-grade students at Salida del Sol in a big sister/little sister mentoring program.鈥� 

Those moments of community鈥痑nd understanding鈥痑re hallmarks of the program and are what so many Stryker鈥痵cholars鈥痳emember as life changing.鈥�

Reimagining Leadership鈥� 

鈥淭he leadership component of the program鈥痟as鈥痓een here from day one,鈥� says Yvette Lucero-Nguyen 鈥�09, director of the Stryker Institute. 鈥淚 think the lens鈥痶hrough鈥痺hich we view leadership has started to be refined based on what鈥檚 happening in our society鈥痑nd鈥痺hat the needs are.鈥濃�� 

Lucero-Nguyen, who has directed the program for the last nine years, has seen the impact Stryker has had on students鈥痑nd on alumni as they reach out to their communities.鈥� 

鈥淭hey spend that first year establishing a foundation of understanding on social justice while focusing on understanding their identities, asking, 鈥楬ow do I understand them in the context of our society, and within privilege and oppression?鈥欌�疧nce we have developed an understanding of ourselves through identity, we allow that to be the lens through which we begin to explore leadership in our second year. By doing so, we can better understand how we navigate as leaders, and how it鈥檚 different for each one of us based on the identities that we hold.鈥疘t鈥痓ecame a foundational piece that we realized needed to exist,鈥痶o鈥痳eally understand how to unpack our leadership, and how to use鈥痠dentities鈥痑s a tool for empowerment, and鈥痶o鈥痓e able to lead with that.鈥濃�� 

That approach to leadership is unique.鈥�鈥� 

鈥淚t challenges the traditional norms of leadership and who we identify as leaders. If we lined up a bunch of people, and鈥痵aid,鈥�鈥楶ick out who you think is a leader. Who would that be?鈥欌�疘 think鈥痯eople are鈥痙rawn to a traditional view of who that might be,鈥痡ust based on how they appear. And we don鈥檛 do that. We take that and say that doesn鈥檛 exist.鈥濃�� 

It鈥檚 an approach that helps students see how, as leaders, they can support others. 鈥淚t helps them鈥痶o be aware of others, and their identities, and the communities they are from,鈥� says Lucero-Nguyen. 鈥淚t helps them ask, 鈥楬ow do I acknowledge and support the identities others hold,鈥�  whether it鈥檚 in the classroom with their students, or it鈥檚 as a nurse with their patients? I hear consistently how they鈥檝e learned to navigate as a leader and use their voice, and understanding why it鈥檚 important.鈥� 

Those lessons鈥痟elp them reach out鈥痠nto鈥痶heir families and their communities as well. 鈥淭he way in which our students take what they learned here, and share it with other people, whether that鈥檚 their brothers and sisters, their parents, their students, their patients, their clients, whoever that is, that鈥檚 the ripple effect.鈥疻e say, 鈥業f you share that knowledge with other people, and invest in other people, the way we have with you all, then that ripple effect just keeps happening,鈥欌�� she says.鈥�

Building a Safe Classroom鈥� 

Elizabeth鈥疢edina, who went through all four years of school as a Stryker Scholar, says that the seminars and discussions鈥痟ave鈥痟elped her talk about subjects that may have been difficult鈥痶o give voice to before.鈥� 

鈥淎s teachers, we have to take it into our classroom. Our kids鈥痟ave to鈥痥now there鈥檚鈥痑 safe haven鈥痶here.鈥疉鈥痩ot of the things we learned鈥痶hrough Stryker, we actually use in our classroom with our kids,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey have to know they鈥檙e able to talk to somebody, trust somebody, and it鈥檚 okay to be themselves. And when you have a classroom like that,鈥痺here鈥痶hey feel safe,鈥痽our school year is wonderful.鈥濃�� 

Creating a classroom that is safe creates a classroom where students can learn, and classrooms of today exist in a society that is different from a generation ago. Elizabeth says that knowing how to answer questions students are curious about has been an important skill for her.鈥�鈥� 

鈥淚n all honesty, when I started Stryker, I was very oblivious to these topics. They were things that we did not discuss in our home, coming from a traditional Mexican home,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to鈥痵it at the鈥痶able and be like,鈥�鈥極K,鈥痩et鈥檚 have this discussion about racism,鈥痮r let鈥檚 have this discussion about sexuality.鈥欌��

鈥淟ast year was the first year we had a topic about sexuality come up in a third-grade classroom. Those are now the standard norms for students.鈥疘t was easy for me to be able to have an open conversation with my students about it because I have the background,鈥痶hanks to Stryker,鈥濃�痵he says. 鈥淥ur world is not the same,鈥痑nd it鈥檚 going to be constantly changing. Stryker really does help open up to that mentality鈥痶hat鈥痺e have to continuously keep learning as adults and as humans,鈥痓ecause we have to keep up what鈥檚 going to be coming in our world from here on out.鈥� 甜心视频app

鈥揃y Debbie Pitner Moors