EmergeNM Weekend One

This last weekend was the first training weekend of EmergeNM for the Cohort of 2026, and it was challenging in all the best ways! I found myself in a classroom full of women who are passionate, engaged, educated, and determined to make our state a better place for all of us. These ladies come from all levels of education: Bachelors, Masters, and Ph.D. programs, as well as a few Juris Doctorates (law degrees). Many are involved in social work, political work or own small businesses. Several speak multiple languages- beyond English and Spanish. And, while there is a massive amount of diversity, somehow we found common ground and began to develop connections with each other.

This program is designed to challenge us- to make us think, question, and grow- so we were thrown into the deep end of the pool straight away, with discussion topics on Transgender Cultural Fluency, Trauma Informed Leadership, Ethical Leadership, and Inclusive Leadership. We were challenged to question our personal biases and motives, think in depth about what kind of leaders we want to be, and to begin thinking on a much larger scale about how to handle hard issues with grace and compassion. What became clear for me is that- although I do have experience with these topics- I still have so much more to learn! And, this program is going to help me get there.

I look forward to sharing further updates about what I’m learning, and- more importantly- using what I’m learning to help our school district become the best that it can be!