In 2018, Colby-Sawyer was selected to join the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network, a highly selective national program of female scholars, and was awarded a three-year, $1.1 million grant for scholarships and transformational campus projects.

Colby-Sawyer’s initial cohort of BOLD scholars are seven juniors who are female or identify as female, as stipulated by the program, and are first-generation students from rural locations in northern New England who are in good standing at the college.

Benefits of the Program

The pioneering program cultivates leadership in young women by facilitating opportunities for women’s career development and networking through:

• Additional financial aid awards that will reduce, or even eliminate, their college debt during junior and senior years
• Internship grant funding
• Financial support for community-based projects
• On-campus programming open to a broader student audience
• Fellowship grant funding upon graduation

Colby-Sawyer joins Middlebury College, Ithaca College, Rutgers University-Newark, the College of Saint Rose and the University of Connecticut as just the sixth active higher education member in the network. Each institution is led by a female president who has shown a longtime commitment to diversity and inclusion.

About BOLD

Funded and supported by The Pussycat Foundation, the BOLD Network was established in the spirit and legacy of Helen Gurley Brown, legendary editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine. A trailblazer, Helen was unapologetically herself and believed that every girl and woman should have the space to do the same while pursuing an education, building a career and achieving her life's ambitions. For more information visit, boldwomensnetwork.com.