Embracing Challenge

Norwich University’s belief in experiential learning is deeply rooted in Captain Alden Partridge’s vision of citizen-soldiers and creating useful citizens for the benefit of our nation. Students at the University are immersed in Partridge’s lifestyle day-to-day, but opportunities such as Women’s Leadership Challenge Weekend offers high schoolers like Gabriella and Abigail Colsia the chance to grow as Partridge-inspired leaders.

The girls’ father, Matthew Colsia, found the camp through a Facebook post and thought it offered a unique learning experience. “I looked into it and thought it sounded like a good idea, especially considering it was centered around women,” he says. Gabriella, 16, and Abigail, 14, have participated in other leadership events and camps before, but Abigail says that it “felt nice” to learn in an environment tailored for women. “I learned how to be more confident and be a leader,” says Abigail.

"It was great because you’re around people who are encouraging you,” says Gabriella. “I learned that you shouldn’t say you can’t do something – you should never hink ‘I can’t.’” She compared this to previous camps she has attended and says that “Sometimes you say, ‘Oh, I can’t do this, or I can’t do that,’ and they just let it happen. At Norwich they didn’t force you to keep going, but they encourage you to keep trying it."

“I learned that you shouldn’t say you can’t do something – you should never think ‘I can’t.’”

Associate Director in the Office of Admissions, Scott Wills, says that these camps highlight young ladies’ capabilities. “The ladies at Norwich finish higher than the men on PT, higher than the men on GPA, and higher than the men on their military science scores,” he says. His research eventually inspired him to pursue an all-female Leadership Challenge Weekend. “The concept was exactly the same as the regular Leadership Challenge Weekends, just no boys. I recruited women for the cadet staff and speakers.”

Abigial and Gabriella Colsia traveled from Virginia to Vermont to conquer this leadership challenge

“For these high-impact, high-grit, highly academic women, Norwich is the perfect place for them,” says Wills. “The quality of the graduate that rolls out from Norwich, for me, is head and shoulders above anything I’ve ever seen. Most of us are afraid of doing the things that we really want to do because it’s out of our comfort zone. The Leadership Challenge Weekend allows you to experience that military lifestyle, living in the Corps of Cadets, and doing something bigger than yourself.”

Matthew says that he was “very pleased” to see his daughters pushing to reach goals. The girls’ parents have served in the military and the pair, like Norwich University, believes that conquering challenges leads to personal growth. “Sometimes it feels like it’s socially accepted to give up or move on, and I don’t think that’s good for character building.” He sees value in learning how to fail and move forward through challenges, and says that “failure is a bruise, not a tattoo.”