Scholarship Recipient Represents Buckeye Battalion at the Women's Mentorship Network National Symposium

Recently, I had the honor of attending the 2015 AUSA Conference and WMN National Symposium on behalf of the Women's Mentorship Network as a representative of the Buckeye Battalion.

Over the past summer, I served as an aide to the special assistant of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as an intern of the Women's Mentorship Network founded by Lieutenant Colonel Robin Johnson. Initially, I met LTC Johnson due to her status as an Ohio State alumnus and she decided to mentor me in the military profession. Through these experiences, I gained an understanding of what WMN was about - promoting intelligent conversation in order to understand the problems facing our military and how to resolve them.

The theme of this year's symposium was Cultivating the Conversation: Winning Together in a Complex World. I really believe that this reflects the mission of WMN and the heart of the organization, mentorship. Through dialogue we are able to understand the hurdles we have to face, and through mentorship we are able to overcome them. At the time, I did not realize how important mentorship is, and how it is a professional tool not only utilized in the corporate world, but in the U.S. military as well. Our keynote speaker and chief of staff of the Army, General Mark Milley, spoke about the importance of mentorship in mastering the art of leadership. He says, "We are in fact our brothers' and sisters' keepers," and no one gets anywhere without a helping hand. General Milley continues to express his belief that we are a team as Americans and we must be ready to face challenges together.

In my experience, mentorship is not only a method of personal growth, but can make or break your professional development. As a future Army officer, I have to understand mission first and people always. It is always about improving the organization and winning together in today's complex world. WMN organized panels to tackle tough topics such as 'Lessons Learned from Corporate America," "The Combat Exclusion Update," and "Leveraging Lessons Learned to Become a More Gender Intelligent Force." While the nation patiently awaits the decision regarding combat exclusion, we are able to recognize the efforts of the brave men and women who have volunteered to test out these pilot programs.

The Women's Mentorship Network encourages us to cultivate creativity and innovation of thought and appreciate our differences as they advance the organization towards success. I learned that no one person alone can solve the problems a modern military faces, but together as a team we can discuss the issues and understand what success looks like. Overall, I cannot speak enough good things about the impact of mentorship in both my professional and personal life. I have been given the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others and receive priceless guidance. With these tools I feel that I can develop a leadership style conducive to my strengths in order to accomplish any mission. As the WMN motto goes, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

If you would like to make an impact and support scholarships for students, contact Leslie Kreinberg at kreinberg.3@osu.edu or at 614-247-6600