From extracurricular executive boards to classrooms to athletic competitions, female students have a visible and persistent drive all over the University — making it difficult to imagine that undergraduate admission did not become coeducational until 1970. But the ease with which many female students seem to preside over parts of the University community has not been without hard-wrought lessons in leadership, which for them, can take a different shape from their male peers. 

The Women’s Leadership Development Program, however, offers a different perspective by equipping female students with the tools, mentorship and confidence to navigate leadership challenges. According to the Student Affairs website, the program was created in the spring of 1991 after Felicia Kantor, Student Council vice president and fourth-year student, faced sexism, both working in a law office as an intern, and during her campaign for a Student Council position as vice president. 

Read more at: https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2026/03/uvas-womens-leadership-development-program-emphasizes-female-forward-mentorship