By Jonathan Resendez/south news editor
Julie Roman and the South Campus Women in New Roles program received a national award this year for its local work.
The National Conference on Student Leadership, which provides student leaders and their advisers with tools they can use to better themselves and their schools, awarded WINR its Trendsetter Award.
South Campus student Julie Roman submitted an essay she had originally written for the STARS program in a competition to gain entrance to the leadership conference in San Diego.
She won the competition and found out about the Trendsetter Award given at the conference two days after the deadline. She e-mailed, faxed and called to nominate WINR. Impressed with her tenacity, the judges allowed her to enter the competition late.
Out of 30 schools, three were picked. Roman developed a PowerPoint presentation to show everything WINR helps its members achieve and won the competition.
“I believe the program won because it can be duplicated,” she said. “It won’t come and go. It has been helping women for over 30 years now. Over 7,000 people have successfully completed the program.”
After sending her son to college and searching for a new life for herself, Roman, the mother of children 15-31 years old, enrolled at TCC. A hip and knee replacement made it difficult for her to return to her old sales job and left her stuck at home with few friends.
Roman stumbled across the Women in New Roles program after deciding to switch out of a remedial math class during her first semester. The WINR program blends together two psychology classes to help women returning to college decide on careers and hone their people skills.
Thinking she had registered for a standard psychology class, Roman was surprised when Trish Light, head of WINR on South Campus, called her later that day and welcomed her to the program.
“I was unsure about the whole thing at first,” Roman said. “But the minute I stepped in there, I knew I was supposed to be there.”
The personality and aptitude tests help build a strong foundation, she said. Students are not just another number. The faculty starts mentoring them immediately, she said.
Roman now helps with orientation of new members to the WINR program.
“Put your seat belt on,” she tells them.
“It’s going to get rough. But it’s going to be the ride of your life.”
