WLI's First Signature Project

To prepare children for bright futures, they must be given every opportunity when they are young. Educating their teachers is the first step in setting them up for success. The First Signature Project has helped children thrive by investing in the women and men who care for and teach them every day. Since the inception of the program, students who might not otherwise have been able to return to college for their degrees in early childhood education were given financial and emotional support through scholarships and cohorts -- a unique system that allowed students to move through courses as a group so they could rely on each other.
 
Jennifer Serowick, Women Leadership Initiative’s (WLI), East Stroudsburg University administrator, has reported that we now have a total of 29 cohort members who have earned their Bachelor's degrees through this project. Another 10 to 12 are expected to graduate in the spring. But it is a somewhat bittersweet time for the First Signature Project as we prepare to wrap up the cohorts and celebrate the final round of graduates. In an effort to get an idea of the impact the project has had, the committee has recently reached out to past scholarship recipients to find out where they are now in their schooling or careers. The responses have been overwhelmingly positive, with the students expressing deep gratitude for the opportunity to earn their degrees.
 
Ashanta Floyd, who received the Frances Hesselbein scholarship this past year, echoed the sentiments of many students involved in the First Signature Project.
 
"I am very grateful to have been chosen as this year's recipient of the Frances Hesselbein Scholarship," she said. "I hope that in the future I will be able to contribute to the Women's leadership Initiative in some way. It would be my pleasure to help this organization continue to help deserving women from the Lehigh Valley."
 
ESU is planning a celebration in the spring to honor the cohort graduates, and all WLI members will be invited to attend. It will be a great chance to interact with these inspiring students and see the impact this First Signature Project has had on many people's lives.

Learn more about Women's Leadership Initiative