Daring to Be BOLD

By Sloan MacRae, March 20, 2025

IC’s BOLD Women’s Leadership Network Cultivates Ambitious, Emerging Leaders

A group photo of 14 women in front of a Broadway theatre advertising Les Miserables

The Class of '26 BOLD Scholars cohort in New York City. From left: Madi Connor, Elora Kunz, Ruth Ada Ayambem, Christine Bataille (associate professor and chair of management), Hope Borsic '23 (BOLD alumna and student employment specialist at IC), Bella Bastos, Jasmine Williams '25 (BOLD program manager), Anushri Sukumaran, Meredith Waropay, Zara Makkaoui, Funmi Omotosho, Mish Lenhart (director of the office for student engagement and BOLD program director), Leticia Rebelo de Oliveira, and Ninjin Tumurbat. (Photo submitted)

When Elora Kunz ’26 was asked about her dream job during the BOLD Scholarship interview process, she answered, “I would fix the problems in our education system.” A music education major with a passion for teaching, Kunz has gained an understanding of the barriers and challenges facing students and educators alike in her chosen profession. This is exactly the kind of insight, combined with a commitment to action, that demonstrates the leadership of BOLD Scholars.

As a member of the Class of 2026 BOLD Scholars cohort, Kunz, like the other nine scholars, is paired with a sponsor, a leader among Ithaca College’s faculty and staff whose career aligns with her field of study, passions, and career interests. Given her interests in policy, Kunz was thrilled to meet with her sponsor, Paula Younger, IC’s executive director for government, community, and constituent relations. Younger, with considerable expertise and experience in the world of policy development and engaging with policy makers, proved an ideal match for Kunz.

“When I got assigned to Paula, I Googled her, and I was like, ‘oh gosh,’” recalls Kunz. “I was so excited to meet her … She’s really kind, and she gives me great advice. She’s great at helping me find people to connect with. And … she’s a badass.”

Each BOLD Scholar is teamed with a badass woman from the leadership ranks of Ithaca College’s faculty and staff.

“BOLD is a phenomenal way to engage, mentor, and encourage young scholars to be the dynamic leaders that they are. The BOLD Scholars program gives them permission to explore their potential.”

Paula Younger, executive director for government, community, and constituent relations

A group of 10 female college students sit around a couch for a group photo.

The Class of '26 BOLD Scholars cohort. (Photo by Mish Lenhart)

The Class of ’26 cohort of ten juniors represents a variety of majors, interests, and leadership styles. BOLD Scholars are awarded two-year scholarships of up to $21,500 per year. They apply during the spring semester of their sophomore year, joining their cohort in the fall of their junior year and serving with that cohort until graduation. IC will announce the 2027 BOLD Scholars cohort in the weeks ahead.

Originally conceived and founded by former IC president Shirley M. Collado, the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network honors Helen Gurley Brown, the celebrated trailblazer noted for serving as editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan for 32 years. The scholarships are funded by the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation. In the spirit of Brown’s legacy, the BOLD program identifies emerging student leaders and empowers them to identify and hone skills that will help them navigate their fields and engage with challenging social issues as the next generation of leaders. After graduation, each BOLD scholar has the opportunity to apply for a Helen Gurley Brown BOLD Fellowship, providing up to $40,000 for employment at a non-profit organization that exemplifies the values of the BOLD vision.

"I don’t think I would have had this opportunity in any other college."

Anushri Sukumaran '26, public and community health major

A group photo of nine women college students holding up vision boards.

The '26 BOLD Scholars cohort displaying their 2025 vision boards. Meredith Waropay, studying abroad at IC's London Center, is not pictured. (Photo by Mish Lenhart)

Choose Your Own (Leadership) Adventure

The BOLD program’s framework allows students to harness their own unique leadership skills, strengthening areas where they already show promise and challenging themselves in unfamiliar or uncomfortable spaces. Mish Lenhart, director of the office for student engagement and BOLD program director, says this strategy is intentional: “There’s no pressure to conform to a certain leadership style. They learn about their potential, which often surprises them.”

Laine Norton, IC’s vice president for advancement and the BOLD Network’s administrative lead, says, “There’s an authenticity that is encouraged and allows one to identify their leadership style in a way that makes it intentional and that builds confidence. There’s an appropriate level of nudging to get outside of one’s comfort zone.”

Jasmine Williams ’25, the BOLD program’s student manager, agrees and notes there’s an element of self-determinism that the program can take. Within the framework, the scholars can shape their experiences, as long as they’re open to discovery and challenging themselves.

A group of college students in discussion around a table.

The '26 BOLD Scholars cultivate their leadership skills. (Photo by Mish Lenhart)

This is by design, concurs Lenhart. “The scholars bring different personality types and leadership styles to the table,” balancing and complementing the cohort. While extroverts are certainly represented on the team, there’s room for the quiet leadership of introverts—and everything in between.

“I’m a lot more outspoken now than I was a year ago,” says psychology and education studies double major Ninjin Tumurbat. “I’m more confident in my voice.”

“BOLD has made me feel more comfortable as a leader than I ever thought I’d be,” says public and community health major Anushri Sukumaran. “I am still very introverted, but now, when I meet people, they often think I’m an extrovert. That’s only because of my talking and presenting skills.”

The cohort meets every Friday, exploring aspects of leadership that range from the tactical (what should leaders include in their LinkedIn profiles?) to the holistic (what are your values, and how do they inform what kind of leader you are?). The cohort unanimously praise these sessions, using words like “inspiring,” “connecting,” and “energizing.”

Williams cites a negotiation workshop she witnessed that embodied the cohort’s dynamic. “Just seeing them watch each other negotiate … I could see light bulbs going off for each of them, learning from each other. It was like, ‘oh, I didn’t know I could do it like that .’”

"They inspire me to be my best every single day.”

Meredith Waropay '26, integrated marketing communications and art double major, speaking about her fellow BOLD Scholars in the cohort

Beyond Mentorship

BOLD Scholars at work. (Photo by Mish Lenhart)

“BOLD is a phenomenal way to engage, mentor, and encourage young scholars to be the dynamic leaders that they are,” says Younger, the aforementioned “badass” working with music education major Kunz. “The BOLD Scholars program gives them permission to explore their potential.”

Sukumaran, majoring in public and community health, was excited to be paired with sponsor Elyse Nepa, assistant director of Clery Act prevention and education in the college’s office of public safety and emergency management. As a residential assistant, Sukumaran already knew and admired Nepa as a campus leader. “I wanted a sponsor who was confident in her skills, and it’s great that Elyse is a woman leader in an area where you might expect to see men operating instead.”

Athletic training major and international student Leticia Rebelo de Oliveira serves as vice president of IC’s Brazilian Student Association, and she also works with prospective study abroad students from her native Brazil, helping them understand the complexities and logistics of choosing and attending college in the United States. She was thrilled to be paired with executive director of admission Nicole Eversley Bradwell as her sponsor. “I wanted to learn more about how admissions work and about how to support other international students that want to study here,” she says.

As an emerging media major, Ruth Ada Ayambem’s career interests converge with creative media and the tech it takes to produce it. She was paired with sponsor Casey Kendall, deputy chief information officer and associate vice president of applications and infrastructure in the college’s IT division. Ruth thinks of Kendall as “almost like an aunt who connects me to so many opportunities” and who “is on the lookout for me and who genuinely cares.”

“There’s an authenticity that is encouraged and allows one to identify their leadership style in a way that makes it intentional and that builds confidence. There’s an appropriate level of nudging to get outside of one’s comfort zone.”

Laine Norton, vice president for advancement and administrative lead for BOLD at IC

The other sponsors consist of leaders in various roles across the entire campus: Film, photography, and visual arts major Bella Bastos teams up with Melody MacAlpine, associate dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications; music performance major Madi Connor with Katrina Clark, career engagement specialist at the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance; community strategy and design major Zara Makkaoui with Park School dean Amy Falkner; psychology and education double major Ninjin Tumurbat with School of Humanities and Sciences dean Claire Gleitman; integrated marketing communications and art double major Meredith Waropay with director of marketing and internal communications Jennifer King MacKenzie in IC’s Marketing Communications division; and journalism major Funmi Omotosho with none other than President La Jerne Terry Cornish.

MacKenzie says that as a sponsor, she tries to be “a sounding board” to “help Meredith make informed choices about the career possibilities she’s exploring.” She adds that she wishes there had been a program like BOLD when she was in college and how “Mish [Lenhart] does this amazing job looking out for these young leaders and thinking creatively about how to pair them with sponsors who can truly speak to their interests.”

The mentorship extends beyond campus. The BOLD Scholars are also matched with alumni mentors who have achieved distinction in their fields. For Connor, a musician studying the flute, alumni mentor Allison Swenson ’07—general director of Opera Omaha—introduced her to possible career pathways in the business and administration side of the performing arts industry. Aside from learning about what it’s like to lead a major performing arts organization, Swenson also helped Connor land a summer job as a house manager at Bowdoin College in Maine.

Group photo of nine women college students holding up messages written on cards

The '26 BOLD Scholars cohort displaying messages of encouragement and appreciation written for each other. Meredith Waropay, studying abroad, is not pictured. (Photo by Mish Lenhart)

“The Best Versions of Ourselves”

Over the months, the cohort has become incredibly close and supportive.

Sukumaran says, “I knew all of my friends in the cohort before BOLD, but we never got personal or close because we had our own lives and academics and extracurriculars … now it’s like a nice big family … when we share our achievements, we don’t feel like we’re boasting. We are appreciating each other, and that’s why I love this cohort so much … I don’t think I would have had this opportunity in any other college.”

Waropay concurs, “everyone’s very driven and kind, and they inspire me to be my best every single day.”

Ayambem feels “there’s a kinship here.”

Tumurbat emphasizes how supportive the cohort is of each other, and that “it allows us to be the best versions of ourselves.”

Kunz puts it simply: “BOLD is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life.”

Realize your potential.

Lean more about the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network and Ithaca College’s other extensive scholarship opportunities.