In 2022, WPLN launched its first-ever Fellowship for nonprofit management. This program pairs young women in higher education with early-stage nonprofit organizations who are training women to run for office in their states.

Meet Delaney Ward, our Fellow supporting She Holds the Key in Michigan. Delaney is a General Business major with a minor in Political Science at Grand Valley State University. She is expecting to graduate in May 2023.

[WPLN]: What about WPLN's mission do you feel most passionate about? 

[Delaney]: As a woman myself, I feel very strongly about the importance of having systems in place to help give other women the tools and platform they need to succeed. Especially given that women are the minority in the political sphere. That fact alone makes WPLN’s mission even more impactful to me personally. 

What are you most looking forward to with your Fellowship? 

I look forward to enhancing the platform for She Holds the Key in Michigan and working with them to grow their base out and reach as many interested women as possible. 

What do you see as one of the biggest challenges for women in leadership today?

To me, the biggest barrier that women in leadership have to overcome today is the lack of support and mentorship in their respective fields since many of them are trailblazers themselves. 

How do you plan to impact your community post-graduation? 

After I graduate from Grand Valley, I plan on impacting my community by continuing to give back in a lot of the same ways I do currently by volunteering and supporting Children’s Miracle Networks all over the country in any way that is available to me. I also plan on attending law school and working towards a law degree to one day use my degree for good in my future community. 

What is your favorite quote by a woman who has impacted your life?

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception” -Ruth Bader Ginsburg 

I have always looked up to RBG as an outstanding example of a leader, but this quote especially I think really drives home such an important idea. It’s the idea that women should not be the outliers or the exception, but rather the norm in every field and have a seat at every table the same way that men do.