Young Women's Leadership Conference: The Next Generation
What does it mean to be a leader? It was one of the many questions posed to young women who attended the Young Women’s Leadership Conference in late February. Leadership, according to legendary dancer Misty Copeland, the first Black woman named as principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre’s 75-year history, is about defying barriers and pursuing your passion.
The arts, many of the students observed, can be a powerful vehicle for harnessing leadership skills.
4th year dance student Vivianna Gantt, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
“It was really cool to hear Misty say it—to take hardships as growth opportunities and learn from them,” said dance student Vivianna Gantt from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
Gantt said she has learned how to apply skills learned in dance, like communication, determinations, and adaptability, to her everyday life, but that above all else, she believes true leadership is built off empathy, compassion, and collaboration.
“To be a leader, you have to have the ability to listen and respect the opinions of others.”
Students at the Young Women’s Leadership Conference participate in the interactive jazz workshop Front & Center: Owning Your Space and Your Story, led by instructor Sierra Noelle Jones. | Photo by Jay Simon
Another student, Ve’Yhata Munn from South Oak Cliff High School, said she learned how to see dance as a metaphor for life’s curveballs.
South Oak Cliff High School Ve’Yhata Munn (Center) volunteers to participate in the Young Women’s Leadership Conference workshop Pathways to Creating Your Best Life. | Photo by Jay Simon
“You create the movement. You’re going to feel sometimes, but dance can teach you how to pivot, so you’re the leader of your own life.”
The Young Women’s Leadership Conferenceconnects high school women, grades 9-12, with accomplished female artists and leaders to develop life and leadership skillsthrough the study of the performing arts. 2026 marks the conference’s 7thyear, debuting in 2018 with special guest Former First Lady Michelle Obama, who made a subsequent appearance in the 2019 conference.
Thanks to Sponsors, Jill B. Louis and Thrivent, Young Women’s Preparatory Network, Debbie Storey Fund, Fossil Group, Dallas Mavericks, and Toyota, PepsiCo, for their support of the annual event, as well as Individual Underwriters, the Embrey Family Foundation, Ayanna Lonian, Cristin Dalecki, The Halperin Foundation, DeMetris Sampson, Lili Clark & Caren Prothro, Sarah Losinger, and Alexine & Warren Tranquada.
