June 2025 was a month of meaningful firsts for Jessy Herrera ’28. It marked her first visit to the U.S. Capitol, and her first real dive into the world of public policy. It was also when she became the first Hollins student selected to participate in NEW Leadership® (NEWL) Virginia, a prestigious, nonpartisan, six-day residential summer program hosted by George Mason University’s (GMU) Schar School of Policy and Government and the Gender and Policy Center.
The competitive program selects 25 undergraduate women from Virginia colleges and universities. From June 8-13, Herrara—a native of Honduras majoring in international studies with a social justice minor—joined her NEWL cohort in Washington D.C., for an immersive leadership experience designed to prepare young women to become changemakers in public service, policy, and politics.
Throughout the week, Herrera participated in panels, workshops, and networking sessions with accomplished women leaders from diverse fields. She and her cohort met with U.S. Representatives Don Beyer and Jennifer McClellan on Capitol Hill, gaining insight into policymaking at the national level.
The program also included a hands-on policy simulation, where Herrera and her peers tackled a timely environmental issue. “We focused on legislation related to data centers and how they are affecting the environment,” she explains. “Before NEWL, I wasn’t interested in policy. Now I am listening to political podcasts and learning more about my representatives. One of the biggest things I learned is that if we want to see change, we need to get involved.”
Herrera learned about NEWL during a Batten Leadership Institute course at Hollins. “I was looking for opportunities to gain leadership experience and knowledge over the summer,” she says. “NEWL was the perfect chance to challenge myself and learn from others.” She is currently working toward a Batten Leadership Certificate.
Herrera’s leadership is rooted in service—a value she embraces both on and off campus. She is a campus tour guide, a volunteer Spanish interpreter for Roanoke Public Schools, and helps coordinate the Hollins Food Pantry. She’s the incoming secretary for the Model UN Club, and a senator for Unión de Estudiantes Latines (UEL) and La Casa, the Spanish language house. In the spring, she traveled to Wilmington, North Carolina, for a Habitat for Humanity service trip.
This summer, she is interning at Howard and Carr Law Office, a law firm in her hometown of Clinton, NC, that focuses on real estate, estate planning and administration, business law, and other related areas. In August, Herrera, a Simple Gift Scholar, a full-ride scholarship program for students residing in Sampson County, will serve as a Hollins Community Connector, helping first-year students transition to college life.
Herrera says her week at NEWL brought together many lessons she’s learning through her classes, leadership roles, the Batten Leadership Program, and Hollins’ Career and Life Design resources. “My biggest take-away from NEWL is that when I have a vision, courage, and action, I can achieve my goals,” she says. “Even if things don’t go exactly as planned, there’s always something meaningful to gain. President Hinton always says that when you lead with love and purpose, everything is different—and now I understand exactly what that means.”
