Nurturing the Spiritual Side of Leadership

For the past seven years, the Daughters of the Covenant program has provided Spelman students opportunities to connect their faith with their vocation. The mentoring and leadership development program places students in internships with mentors who are women of African descent in various careers, including medicine, law, public health and ministry.

“As mentors one of their requirements is to meet with students once a week in reflection sessions where they discuss questions like, What does it mean to be called by God to work in these particular areas?” explained the Rev. Lisa Rhodes, dean of Sisters Chapel and director of The Wisdom Center, which administers the program. “The process allows them to integrate their faith with their intellectual and vocational journey.”

The students develop skills in such vital areas as leadership, public policy, child advocacy, social justice and grant writing as well as having a mentoring relationship that provide examples and discussions about how to navigate being Black and female within particular career paths.

“When students first start, they come wanting to put me in the box of a boss. I quickly refuse to be in a box,” said Sandra Barnhill of the Spelman students she’s mentored as the founder and national president of Foreverfamily Inc. “I let them know that we are in this journey together. Spelman is about helping women deconstruct that box.”

According to a recent Daughters of the Covenant focus group, both students and mentors benefit greatly from the program. Mentors commented that exposing their vulnerabilities – dealing with issues of racism, and sharing their personal stories and examples – helped strengthen mentoring relationships. They also pointed out the importance of the spiritual aspect of this mentoring experience when most corporate mentoring programs focus on skill development.

Overwhelmingly, students expressed how their experiences in the program were transforming, providing them with an opportunity to find their voice, open up, be authentic, share struggles, and get direction and support that had not been previously available.

“Many college students today search for opportunities to explore the world, ask questions about cultural assumptions, and strive to make connections between their academic studies, faith commitments and future career choices,” said Dr. Craig Dykstra, senior vice president, Religion, Lilly Endowment Inc., which provides funding for the program.  “Through the Wisdom Center’s Daughters of the Covenant program, scores of Spelman women are exploring ways that they can live out their faith and help to heal a fragmented world.”

Since 2003, Daughters of the Covenant annually has provided an invaluable mentoring experience for five to eight students. But, this year there will only be one participant as the funding for the program is coming to an end, according to Rev. Rhodes. To support the College’s mission to ensure that students have global experiences, the program is sponsoring a summer internship for this year’s participant, Jamilah Pitts, C’2012, who is traveling with a faith-based organization to China. By helping Chinese teachers become more proficient in speaking English, Pitts will explore her own call to the teaching profession as well as the diversity of cultures and religion.

Via email and teleconferencing, Rev. Rhodes is serving as a mentor to Pitts, who was required to establish a mission statement and address how her internship will impact her life. She will read several books including John Neafsey’s “A Sacred Voice Is Calling: Personal Vocation And Social Conscience.” She will also complete weekly journal entries focused on how she sees God calling her to be a global citizen.

“I always want what I do to be in line with God’s will. I feel like there is always a purpose and a calling for our lives. I think the program will help with that — especially the journaling,” said Pitts, who wants to teach in challenging environments and then go into education and public policy. “I’m really excited about this trip. I’m expecting to be challenged, to grow, and to be taken out of my comfort zone. God is already there. I’m glad that I’ll be finding out a lot more about myself while I am there.” — Joyce E. Davis is the editor of Inside Spelman and the associate director for the Office of Publications.

Visit the photo gallery of the Daughters of the Covenant banquet.