New group unites, empowers female students of color
By Caitlin Hayes, Cornell Chronicle
November 29, 2023
When Trisha Beher ’25 arrived at Cornell, she wanted to join a student group that united and empowered women of color, that encouraged them and prepared them for leadership roles in their fields. She found myriad professional, feminist and cultural or race-based organizations but not one that combined all three.
Beher was only a first-year student, but she saw a need and founded a student organization – Women Leaders of Color at Cornell (WLC) – herself.
Since its founding in 2021, the group, which hosts events open to all students and ultimately aims to increase representation of women of color in leadership positions across professions, has already mobilized and inspired hundreds of female students of color – by bringing trailblazing female speakers to campus, by providing professional development and mentorship opportunities and by building a supportive community.