20x20 Alumni Celebration

The Women’s Leadership Program celebrated our 20-year anniversary (a few years belated!), with the 20x20 Alumni Celebration and Art Show. The 20x20 project is a multimedia video and photography series that profiles alumni working across many fields, including science, foreign policy, social justice, business, law, and public health. 

Twenty alumnae portraits, created by GW alumni Meghan Shea and Mike Rogers, are now displayed in Eckles Library. At an opening reception in November 2022, a number of our alumni offered remarks and engaged with current WLP students.

20x20 Profiles

We asked all the participants to reflect on their current work and on their experience in WLP. All the graduates spoke of leadership and service in some capacity, actively engaging in community, and learning about themselves within the broader scope of this work. We are thrilled to highlight some of our exceptional leaders, activists, and change agents as we celebrate two decades of WLP!

Kalpana Vissa, B.S. '18, M.S. '20

“To this day, any interview, any panel I’m on, any interaction I have, personally, professionally, WLP always comes up. If not for WLP I wouldn’t have the confidence to introduce myself, to proudly present my resume, to be able to have empathy and humility for those around me."

Olivia Elder, B.A. '18

"I’m someone who knows people and loves people with felony convictions, who knows people and loves people who have experienced police violence, doing work to protect them and investing in the community I love so much. I’m able to do that because WLP invested in me."

Jenna Ben-Yehuda, B.A. '02

“WLP became home for me, immediately right out of the gate. When you look back and you start companies and you run agencies and have kids or travel the world, you’ll know this is a home for you, too, that will persist.”

Gillian Giannetti, B.A. '08

"I have found myself channeling the pep talk Professor [Zsuzsua] Csergo would give all of us about being strong and confident in our voice. I don’t think I would have been able to get through that moment if I hadn’t been forced to get over those fears.”

Heera Kamboj, B.A. '05

"You can pull up someone behind you. You are they and that transformation happens much more quickly than you realize. You can help the freshman behind you when you’re a sophomore. Continue to push forward on that. Others believed in me. I hope you will believe in others.”

Nicole Medved (Alanko), B.A. '15

"Working with immigrant women, and immigrants who are survivors of gender-based violence and persecution and torture, I meet people every day who have had their power stripped from them. But because WLP gave me my power and my voice back, I can help others find their voice."

Halea Kerr-Layton, B.A. '19, M.A. '21

"I really loved that WLP was built on a legacy of women’s excellence, and I feel so proud that I’m going to continue with the celebration. It was this experience and this program that established the desire to give back to GW."

Samah Mcgona Sisay, B.A. '15

“WLP gave me a reprieve. I was young. I made a lot of mistakes. Having this small space where people were so kind, so welcoming, and so invested in mentorship allowed me to bloom. The centering of people is something that I really gained and learned from WLP."

Read about the 20x20 Celebration in GW Today