How an All-Girls Education Inspires Leadership, Confidence, and Success

BY AVA GUARINO

Students worldwide choose an all-girls education. But why? Studies show that an all-girls education promotes community involvement, self-confidence, and leadership skills. Speaking from experience, it’s true.

Seniors at graduation. Kent Place School

After attending a co-ed elementary school in my hometown, I started my middle school journey at Kent Place School in Summit, NJ, an independent school for girls. After just a few weeks at Kent Place, I was eager to seek leadership opportunities and become involved in the community. The environment provides immediate inclusion and support. In class, girls raise their hands often and with confidence, building on each other’s ideas, effortlessly collaborating, and valuing the opinions of their peers. To provide a different perspective on the experience, I interviewed one of my classmates.

Kent Place School’s 2021 mission statement. X

Maya Shpilsky, a senior at Kent Place, shared that her favorite part of attending an all-girls school is “how close everyone gets with each other, and that the environment is a lot more relaxed and supportive since we get the sense that we are all in this together.” She said, “In this environment, embarrassment doesn’t really exist, so that makes me feel more comfortable being myself.” The only drawback she notes is that the school “is a really small community, and not many new things happen socially so it can get monotonous at times since we are always together.” Ultimately, she believes that the all-girls education will help her in her future career: “I genuinely think that I’ve learned that I can take up space and I am a lot more comfortable contributing to conversations and making my voice heard. I also don’t shy away from opportunities, which will help me succeed in a corporate environment as I will have more confidence in myself.”

While an all-girls education is not for everyone, Kent Place has shown its ability to make girls more confident and ready to tackle real-world challenges.