Women's Asian American Leadership Initiative

Final Session of WAALI 2016

We're accepting applications for our Fall 2016 WAALI Cohort!

Spring Recruitment for WAALI 2016 is complete! Check out for phase 2 of our recruitment starting in July for transfer students and anyone else who didn't take advantage of our Spring recruitment. 2nd and 3rd year women, check your e-mails in July to learn how to apply!

The 2015-2016 WAALI Cohort!

Please remember to fill out your contact information if you haven't already! This will help the cohort stay better connected throughout the program and beyond!

WAALI 2015-2016 Cohort Contact List - Google Sheets

Meet Your Facilitator:
Samantha Merritt is a third year double majoring in Public Policy and Leadership and Foreign Affairs and minoring in East Asian Studies. In addition to serving as a WAALI facilitator, Samantha is the Committee Secretary for the Women’s Leadership Development Program (WLDP) and a Language Consultant with Volunteers with International Students, Staff, and Scholars (VISAS). As an Army child, Samantha has lived in South Korea and the Philippines and is passionate about military and foreign policy. Samantha studied politics and public policy through the UVa in Oxford summer program in 2014 and studied the Korean language and political history at Korea University in Seoul this past summer. She hopes to work in the defense or intelligence field upon graduation.
Samantha is passionate about WAALI because it is an exceptional program that allows participants to discuss stereotypes, challenges, and internal and external pressures facing Asian-American women while fostering personal, academic, and professional growth.

To accommodate those who were unable to complete the application in time, the deadline for WAALI applications has been moved to Sunday,September 13th at noon. Consider applying today – the application takes under 10 minutes. Please let us know if you have any questions. :)

Meet your facilitator:
Winny Shen is a third year studying Finance, Marketing and Global Commerce at the McIntire School of Commerce. She also pursues a double major in Women, Gender & Sexuality at the College of Arts& Sciences. At UVa, She is involved in many women-oriented organizations including Smart Women Securities, Women's Business Forum and WAALI.
Winny loves WAALI because she believes that girls are poised, powerful, and passionate; and WAALI provides that perfect environment for these girls to mingle and grow. She wants to have a close network of women working together in solving issues within the UVa community and the society. She is looking forward to sharing with more women leaders about her experiences overseas in Asia and also as an international student in the United States.

Meet your facilitator:
Doris is a third year studying Finance and Management at the McIntire School of Commerce. At UVa, She devotes herself to community service, professional development, and intramural sports. She currently serves as the Corporate Relations Chair of the Women's Business Forum at McIntire, Membership Chair of the Peer Advising Family Network, and Program Coordinator of VISAS (Volunteering with International Students Scholars and Staff). Outside of these academic involvements, she leads a cohort of volleyball amateurs and compete annually in UVa's intramural games.

Doris is passionate about WAALI because she enjoys sharing her own multi-national experience and providing support for the Asian American community at UVa. As a past participant of WAALI, she has actively contributed to discussions and encouraged her peers to share their perspectives as well. She returned this year as a facilitator because she believes the empowerment of Asian American young women starts with WAALI.

Join this year's Women's Asian American Leadership Initiative cohort. Open to current 2nd and 3rd year AAPA Women. Application and link to interview slots are in the link below. Please apply by September 11th at noon. Looking forward to reading your applications!

WAALI Application F15.docx https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B50DJTF-IgmpUDFoV09TaExwLXc

Hi everyone! Samantha Merritt, Doris Yuan, and Winny Shen are excited to announce that they'll be facilitating WAALI this fall.
-If you're a 2nd or 3rd year Asian-American woman, please apply!
-If you know any 2nd or 3rd year Asian-American women, please invite them to like this page and apply! Thank you so much!

Attention 2nd/3rd year women:
Apply to the Women's Asian American Leadership Initiative by 12PM Fri. Sept.11th. Sessions are Mondays from 7:30-9PM from Sept. 28th to Nov. 16 except for Fall Break. Explore narratives in leadership, gender, sexuality, race, and more in an safe small-group setting. Talk about the issues that affect you and women in the community and find creative ways to create social change!
Make sure to sign up for an interview slot and e-mail your application to [email protected]. The link is below! We look forward to meeting you!