As we welcome in the NeW year of 2018, we reflect on the incredible success of NeW in 2017. We are proud of our Chapters for educating and training their peers through book club meetings, events, and philanthropy. We are especially grateful to everyone who helped make Phase II of our #ShesConservative campaign successful. Because of our NeW members and supporters, young women are standing up proudly to say, “This Is What A Conservative Looks Like.”

Please enjoy our 2017 highlights below.

1. 1. NeW at Harvard Wins Chapter of the Year Award

      At the 2017 National Conference, NeW presented the Chapter of the Year Award to NeW at Harvard University for their outstanding work on campus. In the past year, NeW at Harvard hosted Mary Katharine Ham with Guy Benson (pictured above), Sarah Isgur Flores, and Representative Kate Campanale. In April, the chapter attended a luncheon with former U.S. Senator, Kelly Ayotte. That night the chapter also co-sponsored a debate with the Harvard Political Union. Keep up the good work, ladies!

   2. NeW Alumna’s Campus Speech Reaches Capacity

      On October 25, NeW at the University of Kansas (KU) hosted a discussion featuring NeW Alumna and Second Amendment Activist, Antonia Okafor. The ladies of NeW treated Antonia to lunch and then gave her a tour of the KU campus, giving them a chance to get to know her as mentor. At the event, Victoria Snitsar, NeW at KU President, moderated the Q&A. There were more than 80 attendees.

   3. NeW ConSERVative Initiative Gives Back

       During the month of November, NeW chapters were encouraged to give back to their communities by participating in community service and outreach. Many chapters participated by raising money for Veterans, writing Christmas cards to soldiers overseas, collecting donations for food or clothing drives, and helping organize events benefiting neighbors with disabilities. We are very proud of our chapters.

   4. First Regional Summit in Raleigh, North Carolina

      As part of Phase II of the #ShesConservative Campaign, NeW hosted its first #ShesConservative Summit in Raleigh, North Carolina this September. Throughout the weekend, attendees participated in writing and resume workshops, leadership discussions, and campus activism training. The Summit connected student leaders and prepared them to advance conservative principles on their campuses.

   5. Kellyanne Conway Keynotes National Conference

      At the 2017 National Conference, Karin Agness Lips presented Kellyanne Conway with the Empowered Woman of the Year Award for her leadership in the conservative movement. Karin first met Kellyanne more than a decade ago when Kellyanne spoke to the NeW at UVA Chapter. Kellyanne applauded NeW and the work we are doing for young conservative women. During her speech, Kellyanne encouraged attendees to keep fighting the fight and continue to move forward in the face of adversity.

   6. NeW National Conference Featured in Glamour Magazine

      Glamour magazine sent a (liberal!) staff writer to the 2017 NeW National Conference. Writer Samantha Leach was surprised at NeW and the women who attended the conference, stating that she “started thinking about this group of women that I’d known nothing about and, in some ways, judged unfairly. There are definitely some issues—abortion in particular—that we’re never going to see eye-to-eye on, but I gained a deeper sympathy for how isolated from other women they sometimes feel and how they’re without established female icons in their party. And yet they do persist as vocal champions of their beliefs.” Thousands of women read Glamour magazine daily and the piece accurately highlighted the mission of NeW.

   7. NeW and Campus Reform Reveal Liberal Bias on College Campus

      In September, NeW teamed up with Campus Reform to reveal liberal bias on college campuses. Caroline Hakes, Campus Reform correspondent and NeW at GW member, interviewed students at George Washington University, asking them what they thought about conservative women on campus. While the responses weren’t exactly favorable, the video chronicling the responses further proves the need for strong conservative women who can combat opposing viewpoints.

   8. Young Women’s Leadership Retreat Prepares Students

      From July 13-16, NeW hosted the third annual Young Women’s Leadership Retreat (YWLR) at Randolph Macon College. At YWLR, NeW prepared incoming college freshmen for the political and cultural climate they will face on campus, while also preparing upperclassmen for the professional world. Grayson Campo, President of NeW at American University, had this to say about the YWLR:
      “I loved this retreat! The best part was hearing different opinions of peers, meeting people, learning how to write op-eds, and hearing advice from professionals.”

   9. #ShesConservative Essay Contest Brings Hundred of Submissions

      As part of Phase II of the #ShesConservative campaign, NeW invited students to submit essays detailing why they are conservative. Two winners were selected to each receive a $1,000 scholarship. These established writers were chosen from a pool of hundreds of students in each category. Congratulations to Emily and Paris and thank you to everyone who submitted essays.

   10. Genevieve Wood Keynotes 13th Anniversary Dinner

       On September 28, NeW celebrated 13 years of empowering conservative women with an Anniversary Dinner at Sixth Engine in Washington, DC. Genevieve Wood, Senior Communications Advisor at The Heritage Foundation and Senior Contributor to The Daily Signal, keynoted the event. She shared with attendees about her experience in broadcast news and the struggles she faced because of the bias against her by her liberal counterparts.