Rocky in Louisiana

Spring break 2025 enabled students in the Gender and Policy Leadership course, taught by Rockefeller Center Executive Director Anna Mahoney, a chance to visit New Orleans, Louisiana to meet with policymakers, alumnae, and local college students with a shared passion for leadership.

Over the course of five days, students visited historical and cultural sites, ate delicious local cuisine, and learned about public health, environmental policy, and gender and politics. Site visits included: Amistad Research Center, the Louisiana State Legislature, the Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science at Tulane University, and the Whitney Plantation.

The Gender and Policy Leadership course introduced policymaking as complicated by vying constituencies, identity politics, and limited resources. While on the ground in Louisiana, the students heard from the Maternal and Child Health Coalition about their own strategies for advocacy at the local and state level. Leaders Professor Clare Daniel, City Public Health official Meshawn A Siddiq, and Victoria Williams of Birthmark Doula explained how they deploy academic research, personal stories, and networks of relationships to achieve their policy goals.

Louisiana's political history was also on display at the Amistad Research Center and the Newcomb College Institute Archives. 

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Students were able to see collections on civil rights, the second wave feminist movement, and education advocacy – highlighting women's contributions to these issues. "For students to see the real risks these leaders took during times of political upheaval was both sobering and inspiring," said Mahoney who hopes students will relate these stories of political courage to their own lives.

The trip had a particular Dartmouth flavor with visits with two local alumnae, Vanessa Rodriquez '98 and Caroline Fayard '00. Rodriquez told wonderful stories about her time at Dartmouth including how she utilized her theater course work later in a social work setting in NYC. Fayard shared what she learned from her run for U.S. Senate, her time in finance, and ultimately the rewards of grassroots level organizing.

Students got plenty of New Orleans culture as well with beignets at Café Du Mode, a jazz river cruise, and a walk through the French Quarter.

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"The trip to New Orleans brought our coursework to life. Seeing the South firsthand emphasized how public policy shapes communities over time. It underscored the need to remember history, its injustices, and its resilience. I left with a deeper understanding of cultural preservation, memorialization, and the lived impact of policy decisions," said Elizabeth Cervantes Roman, Government and Sociology major, and Class of 2027. 

Tulane University invited students to a workshop on data science hosted by Professor Jacque Howard who looked at gender and racial patterns in registered Louisiana voters. The last morning was spent visiting a Newcomb Scholars class with guest speaker Michelle Manno of Northwestern University who spoke about the gendered dynamics of elite college athletics.

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"The main theme throughout our course was how to approach a problem without a right answer. In our trip, we were able to identify where the women of New Orleans struggled with these types of challenges," said Harper Kucik, Class of 2027, and Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies major with a minor in Public Policy. "For example, how could a maternal health organization stay true to their mission of serving underprivileged pregnant people while also needing to cater to wealthier demographics to stay afloat financially?"

The course is cross listed between Public Policy and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies and takes an interdisciplinary approach utilizing case studies which examine leadership challenges of real life policymakers as they navigate various public policy issues.