BARRINGTON -- Kara Schnabel, a junior at Barrington High School, didn't think she was very special when she arrived at the Take the Lead conference at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., early this month.
The fact that she had been selected as one of 40 students to attend the annual teen leadership conference, from a pool of 700 nominees, didn't change her mind. Nor did the fact that her plan to develop an "armchair travel" program for the elderly had attracted attention from Mount Holyoke faculty and administrators.
But when she arrived at the conference on Oct. 2, and heard the welcoming remarks from program chair Patricia VandenBerg, she realized that her self-assessment might be a little bit off.
"I think the most meaningful thing she said was that there's this thing that primarily affects women, called impostor syndrome," Schnabel said. The idea, based on a 1978 study, is that when women achieve something significant, they think it's simply because they were lucky, not because they actually deserve it.
Schnabel had been feeling that way before VandenBerg's speech, but hearing about impostor syndrome quickly changed her outlook.
"It turned out that everyone in the room pretty much felt like that," she said.
Schnabel's shifting attitude is precisely what Take the Lead is all about, according to VandenBerg. The conference, now in its fourth year, is a four-day workshop in which teenage girls are asked to come in with an idea about how to change their worlds, and leave with a plan to do so.
"It's a very exciting program," VandenBerg said. "We get these high-achieving young women who really have a desire to make a difference in the world, and we are able to help them do that."
Schnabel was already a leader in Barrington when her Girl Scout troop leader nominated her for the conference. The 16-year-old has been a Girl Scout for six years, is a cofounder of the high school Latin Club, and a member of the Brown University Friends of Egyptology and the Archaeological Institute of America.
When she received an invitation to apply for the Take the Lead, Schnabel decided to submit an idea she had: bring the experiences of different cities and cultures to Barrington residents who can't make the trips on their own.
"During middle school, I used to go play bingo at a senior center, and we just noticed that the people there really enjoyed that, but they couldn't really travel too much," she said. "I just think that a lot of people can't physically get places, but they can still enjoy what those places have to offer."
"Before Take the Lead, it was just an idea," she added.
When Schnabel arrived at the conference, however, the organizers made sure she was given an opportunity to take her idea to the next step. She was paired with a student mentor, and introduced to a number of current and former students who had turned their own ideas into actual programs.
The next four days were a mix of workshops and team-building activities. Students at the Take the Lead conference learn about raising money, getting publicity, managing their time effectively, and organizing within their communities.
They also took some time to have fun, with activities such as a performance by a West African dance group, and a screening of the film Bend It Like Beckham.
"It's a chick flick, but it's very powerful," Schnabel said.
The goal, VandenBerg said, is to have each student leave the conference with a three-minute presentation, and a plan to get their project done within the next six months.
"We assume that if they can't get it done right now, because their junior year of high school is always a really busy time, they'd pick it up and try to continue," VandenBerg said.
Schnabel's first step is telling everyone she knows about her intention to hold an event about Egyptian culture in the spring, possibly for senior citizens or elementary-school students.
Her plan is to talk about Egypt but engage her audience with some kind of creative component, such as teaching them a song from the region.
"Eventually I would really like to have an organization within the community, or a group at the high school, just to sponsor cultural events in the community," she said.
She is not sure that establishing a full program within six months is a realistic goal, but Schnabel is certain that her participation in Take the Lead was a big step toward realizing both her goal and her potential -- without the effects of impostor syndrome.
"You are where you are because of what you've done," she said, "and you deserve to be where you are."
To contact Jessica Ullian, phone 253-1200 or e-mail JUllian(at)projo.com.
