Ultimate role models

My mom. My second-grade teacher. My undergraduate thesis advisor. The nonprofit director of my first job out of college. Novelist Alice Walker. Suffragist Alice Paul.

These are just a few of the women who have made a big impact on my life. Some I’ve known intimately and others only on paper.

On August 18, we celebrate the 2011 YWCA Tribute to Women at the Bijou Theatre in downtown Knoxville. This signature event recognizes East Tennessee women who have overcome barriers and helped others overcome—women who embody empowerment, equality, and transformation. The ultimate role models.

One such example is Mary Lou Horner, this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. She became one of Knox County's first female commissioners, headed a local paper, and has served on at least a dozen boards, transforming local politics, business, and media at a time when women’s voices were still confined to the private sphere. Thankfully, Ms. Horner would not be confined, and she paved the way for other women.

Some of us have been lucky to know Mary Lou Horner well, while others have learned from her work or followed in her footsteps. But what happens when you don’t have strong women to guide you? Many YWCA clients have never had positive influences in their lives. As a result, they struggle with low self-esteem, have difficulty trusting people, and lack the tools to make healthy decisions. That’s where the YWCA comes in. We give them those tools and show them their potential. And that’s similar to the job of a mentor.

Exposure to role models and mentoring increases self-efficacy. As Kathy Korman Frey of George Washington University frequently points out, research indicates that we need five mentors for “advice, support, problem-solving, coaching, and networking.” If you don’t have a relationship with a mentor and are having trouble finding one, Frey says written mentoring works too. Take my examples of Alice Walker and Alice Paul. After reading the former’s fiction and learning about the latter’s struggle for the vote, I saw the world, and myself, differently. Or check out Frey’s Hot Mommas, which provides exposure to role models by posting inspiring vignettes from women all over the world.

We all need mentors, and we can all be mentors. You don’t have to be at the top of your career to be a role model. Mentorship is about empowerment, and there is always someone behind you needing a hand. Grab that person and take them along with you!

The YWCA is looking for male and female mentors. If you are interested, please contact Hope Robinson, volunteer coordinator, at hrobinson@ywcaknox.com or 865-523-6126. For more information about the 2011 Tribute to Women or to purchase tickets, please call Danielle Benson at 865-523-6126 or visit our website.

--Sara Baker, YWCA Director of Women's Advocacy and Written Communications


Sara Baker holds an MA in English with Writing Concentration and a BA in English and Religion. Her lifelong commitment to women's issues includes volunteer work with the Alliance for International Women's Rights, American Association of University Women, National Conference on Community and Justice, National Network of Presbyterian College Women, University of Tennessee Women's Coordinating Council, University of Swansea Club W, and Maryville College Sisters in Spirit. Sara has studied African-American women's literature, women's roles in world religions, and the status of women in North Indian culture. Through her work at the YWCA, she researches women's rights, violence against women, women and poverty, and girl empowerment.