Exploring Gender Leadership in Wyoming Mountains

Khai S. ’22 and Jamie S. ’22 camp deep in the woods of Wyoming, Aug. 2019. These Browning boys were selected to participate on the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) inaugural gender and leadership trip with other students from New York Interschool member schools. (Khai S. ’22)

Over the summer, I ventured into the picturesque mountains of Wyoming to learn how to become a better leader at school. The 10-day trip was created by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and focused specifically on gender leadership.

This was the inaugural year that students from Browning, as well as other single-sex schools in New York City (Brearley, Collegiate, and Nightingale-Bamford), participated in the program.

Our group of six boys and six girls set out with open minds and adventurous hearts to learn about society’s current gender issues and to become better leaders.

During this time, we undertook a series of exercises comprised of leadership training in classroom environments. We recognized and discussed our best qualities and identified areas in which we could improve.

Much of the hands-on work was focused on how much we thought gender played a role in day-to-day interactions. We took this a step further by identifying our own instinctive biases, and determining how we could break the gender stereotypes and norms set by society and our unconscious biases.

I admit that I harbored some fears going into this expedition. It was not about having to adapt to the wild, go through unknown terrain, freeze to death, or learn how to cook meals. It was not even about spending six days with teenagers I didn’t know or encountering aggressive bears.

My deep-seated anxiety had to do with how I would be able to use the bathroom comfortably in the woods. Eventually, I learned that when nature calls, one must answer under any and all circumstances.

After the second day, I began to enjoy these private moments because there was something really primal about using only what is offered in nature. Just when I was becoming too comfortable in the woods, a young and hungry grizzly bear had invaded our camp looking for spare leftovers, which quickly reminded me that I was not in human territory.

At the end of the trip, we debriefed about the expedition. Some shared how their views on leadership changed while others had remained the same.

I thought the time spent in the classroom was generally helpful in guiding us to understand how gender stereotypes can negatively impact a young leader’s confidence while developing a unique leadership style.

During the wilderness component of the trip, we were all tasked to be designated leaders for a day. I did not notice a difference between male and female leadership styles, but there was a difference in each individual’s approach regardless of gender. There were both soft-spoken leadership styles with boys and girls, and there were also more direct and commanding leadership styles from both genders.

My takeaway from this experience is that, when people are given equal opportunities to lead, gender differences are less relevant than the personalities of the individual leaders.

Coming from an all-boys school, it was also a nice change to hear the opinions of my female peers on the trip.

The discussion would have been more open and productive if the instructors themselves were able to leave some of their own biases and gender attitudes outside the classroom. At times, our student group agreed that the course should be examined through the lens of moral character and action rather than social class or race.

I would recommend any freshman considering applying for a spot on next year’s trip to always keep an open mind but to have confidence in their own personal views and to not be afraid to express their thoughts and concerns.

I gained a new perspective on life from the trip, made great friends, learned new things about myself, and most importantly, how to be more sympathetic to people from different walks of life.

I am ready to incorporate the skills I have acquired from this training into the Browning community, whether through clubs, events, or peer leadership opportunities.