Kennedi Campbell-Caldwell used to have impostor syndrome – questioning whether she deserved her opportunities. Now she’s confident about setting ambitious goals.
Campbell-Caldwell said her life has been changed by the mentorship, support and community she has found in the Craig School of Business Gender and Leadership (GAL) program.
“GAL is life-changing,” Campbell-Caldwell said. “I used to step in rooms and cave inside. I felt there was someone way more qualified who deserved my spot. Now I know I’m supposed to be here, and I have the confidence to follow through with my plans.”
Campbell-Caldwell is letting her ambitions soar — “I want to be president of the United States,” she said — and she’s taking action to make her ambitions real. A senior majoring in business administration with an option in human resource management, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in project management and then go to law school.
The Gender and Leadership program provides business students with mentorship, professional development and networking opportunities, and facilitates discussions about gender issues and disparities in the workplace. The student cohort, which is open to all business students regardless of their gender, hosts speakers, workshops and discussion groups to connect students with established female professionals in the business community.
The program is made possible by the financial support and participation of the business community, including funds from Fresno State’s annual Day of Giving. Local professionals do much of the program’s work, volunteering their time to give talks, lead workshops, participate in discussions and provide individual mentorship to students.
Program funding was provided by alumni and business supporters Wendy Jackson (2001), Merdiam/Bulldog Infrastructure, Doug (1979) and Liz Reade, and the Moss Adams Foundation, as well as the generous support of contributors to Fresno State’s annual Day of Giving, which supports the Gender and Leadership programs and other career readiness programs.
Started in fall 2024, the program has grown from 11 students to its current student cohort of 17. Business students who are interested in joining Gender and Leadership are invited to attend two drop-in events on April 10 and May 1.
On a practical level, the program focuses on teaching career readiness skills, such as presenting a professional image in the workplace, salary negotiation, finding mentors and taking charge of one’s own career success. But for Campbell-Caldwell, the real heart of the program is that it fosters community. Mentorship from female professionals who share their own struggles demonstrates to students that career success is open to all, she said.
“We had a speaker that brought me to tears,” Campbell-Caldwell said. “She shared her story, and it was mind-blowing that somebody who has been through so many things can reach the level that she is now. To see that you can face obstacles and come out better has been everything to me.”
Faith Bither, a senior majoring in business management, said the Gender and Leadership program has been an invaluable opportunity to find female mentors.
“As a first-generation student, I didn’t have mentors who are businesswomen,” Bither said. “The minute I went to GAL, I was in love with it, because I was able to meet women in business. I didn’t know this level of support was available. This program is a place where I felt I could learn, be vulnerable and ask for advice.”
The Gender and Leadership program encourages frank conversations about the challenges women continue to face in professional situations. Faculty and professional mentors guide students to find their own power and take charge in difficult situations.
Through the program, Bither has heard the personal stories of women professionals who have overcome adversity and gotten practical training on workplace issues. She said the inspiration, education and personal mentorship has helped her be more assertive.
“I’ve learned more confidence,” Bither said. “Confidence in myself, confidence in speaking up about things, confidence in the workplace, academics, social situations — I feel like it’s overflowed into all areas of my life.”
Bither said the program has pushed her to secure a paid internship in project management with a Fresno company, which she will start after she graduates this semester.
“GAL has made me more picky about career decisions,” Bither said. “Prior, I would have picked the first thing given to me without negotiating. Sometimes we don’t even realize it, but as women in the workplace, we could tend to be more passive. GAL has taught me it’s OK to be assertive, it’s OK to be picky. They taught us to value ourselves.”
Both Campbell-Caldwell and Bither say that the personal strength they have learned in the Gender and Leadership program has increased their commitment to helping others.
“Knowing that there are other students like me with imposter syndrome pushes me,” Campbell-Caldwell said. “I have to keep going, because I have to let somebody else know that they can do it. If they learn that from me and what I have done, I know the people who have inspired me are getting a return on their investment.”
“I’ve learned the value of community and it’s inspired me to be a better community member,” Bither said. “I know I’m not the only one in the GAL program who has benefited from this. It motivates us as women, gives us a community to thrive in and enables us to give back. It goes beyond Fresno State and touches lives in the community.”
Fresno State’s annual 24-hour, online Day of Giving will be Wednesday, March 18. The Gender and Leadership program and other Craig School of Business programs rely on private financial support, such as funds raised from the Day of Giving, to support experiential learning activities for students. Visit fresnostate.dayofgiving.edu to learn how to support the Craig School of Business today.
