MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Sporting shirts that encouraged the audience members to “Keep Calm and Aspire,” or asked the question “Why Be a Little When You Can Be A.L.O.T.,” the young women of the Columbia High School Ladies of Leadership club held their end-of-year banquet and awards ceremony at the Newark Waterfront Center on June 23.
In an evening that included music, poetry, cultural dance and live drawing, the group of more than 20 club members demonstrated to family and friends in attendance how they have become ladies who lead.
The program began with members of the organization walking back and forth across the stage, trading insults on everything ranging from skin color to body shape to clothing, and transitioned into two young women wearing butterfly wings who spread them gracefully in front of the audience before embarking on a series of positive affirmations.
“Something that is different this year is our symbol of the butterfly. Since a butterfly is a unique creation which undergoes a tremendous transformation — from caterpillar to chrysalis to what we all see as a beautiful butterfly — so also the girls plan on transforming into beautiful butterflies as well,” club adviser and Columbia High School math teacher Adiobun Banner said in a recent phone interview with the News-Record. “This is through self reflection, growth and mentoring. There are requirements before they can be deemed butterflies which include hours of community service, academic growth and four letters of recommendation from parents as well as school officials.”
The event progressed with a PowerPoint presentation by Banner showing some statistics about the sexualized representation of women in media, the progression of low self-esteem in young women versus their male peers, and why women are less likely to ask for a raise or promotion.
Banner’s point is clear: Now, more than ever, young women need to develop self-esteem and confidence in themselves and their abilities, and the Ladies of Leadership club is determined to do just that.
Ladies of Leadership began in 2015 as the brainchild of Banner, who had a desire to connect with the young women in the school in a less conventional way and on a more personal level. Her idea was simple: Provide an opportunity where the students, many of whom have never been in one of her classes, could share with and learn from their peers in an informal setting. Word of mouth spread quickly and soon young women were flocking to Banner’s room twice a week after school for conversations on personal and professional development.
In the beginning, Banner’s focus was on academic achievement and encouraging club participants to engage more in their classes and advocate for themselves to improve grades in subjects in which they might be struggling. Two years later, Ladies of Leadership continues to grow and thrive, and has added some new elements into the mix.
Due to personal time constraints while she pursues her doctoral degree at Montclair State University, Banner now meets with the group biweekly as opposed to twice a week, but the decrease in time together has had no less impact on the work the young women are doing.
The focus of academic achievement and college or workforce readiness is still there, but Banner has also added personal reflection to the agenda.
“We do journaling now and we come up with topics and then we share our journals. I wanted the students to be able to look back and see their growth and see what concerned them and have something concrete and solid to reference,” Banner said. “They write down their thoughts and feelings and, even if they decide not to share with everyone, they have it and, if they do decide to share, they can find comfort in the group.”
Combining practical abilities with personal growth, Banner realized that many of the women who joined the club had no prior experience with public speaking, which she considers an essential skill.
“Some of the girls have never stood in front of a crowd or done public speaking, so I made it a requirement that, for our banquet, every single one of them had to do a performance piece of their choice, whether it was reciting a poem or creative drawing,” she said.
Some of the performances at the banquet included Chidima Asikubaru’s recitation of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Alone,” an interpretive dance by Carolyn Orcel to Rihanna’s song “Love on the Brain” and a live drawing by Olivia Grant while Solange Knowles’ song “Don’t Touch My Hair” played in the background.
Juniors Isabella Yagid and Jenilee Jean-Pierre both mesmerized the crowd with their a cappella performances; Yagid sang Lorde’s “Liability” and Jean-Pierre sang John Legend’s “All of Me.”
Alejandra Lupton took a hands-on approach for her presentation; she took a plain white dress and transformed it into three articles of clothing, each depicting the skyline of a different city. During the banquet, she showed a video presentation of her creative process and then had three fellow club members model her creations at the event.
“I like pictures of city skylines so I thought it would be a really cool idea to put it on a skirt,” Lupton said in a recent phone interview with the News-Record. “From Ladies of Leadership, I definitely learned that there are a bunch of different people out there and you just have to find common ground with them. I got to hear their perspectives and get a new appreciation for other people’s opinions. It’s a safe space and somewhere you can go to make yourself be heard and included.”
Kaitlynn Henrilus, a sophomore who served as president of the club during the recent school year, had similar thoughts about how the club has aided her personal growth.
“I feel like this club helps to bring your day up because you are surrounded by people who are positive about everything and it definitely improves our high school experience,” she said in a recent phone interview with the News-Record. “My sister was in it her junior year when it started, and I was in eighth grade, so when I got to high school I joined too. For anyone looking to join Ladies of Leadership, I would tell them that they would get a positive support group and no judgment and learn how to build yourself up to become a better person and a better leader in society.”
The impact that both Banner and the organization have had on the students is evident in that many of the club’s alumni are still in touch with Banner and regularly return to speak to the current students about their college experiences. In fact, five alumnae performed at the banquet.
“I have been attending for a year and I have learned a lot from Ms. Banner. She is really great at getting her message across and she is an amazing person. We did journaling, and discussed topics like, what would you do if someone hits you or if a man touches you. She teaches you what to do and how you can learn some lifelong skills from it,” sophomore Jenilee Jean-Pierre said in a recent phone interview with the News-Record.
“A lot of my friends are in it and it was one of my priorities in my sophomore year to join. Applying to Ladies of Leadership is more than just a club, it’s a lifestyle and a way to live. Ms. Banner shows us how to get that job, how to get your point across without being violent or aggressive; she teaches you how to be that confident woman that you look up to. It’s cool to want to be like Beyonce, but Ms. Banner shows us how to be women that we see in real life that are confident and successful.”
Photos Courtesy of Adiobun Banner
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