"The Female ChangeMaker Leadership Conference was an incredible experience that a few female year 13 learners had the pleasure of attending," says Cleo Innes.

Carly Stephens, Brenna Perriam, Isabella Botha, Cleo Innes, Nisha Magar, Pranavi Peddisetti and Isabella Hunter represented Rolleston College Horoeka Haemata with pride at the conference.

"It was awesome to connect with other young women from a variety of different schools and women in leadership roles around Aotearoa. We were spoken to by a number of keynote speakers—including our previous head student, Mackenzie Wills—who shared their insights into the world of women in leadership, and the stories highlighting how they got to where they are today. Seeing so many women express the highs and lows of their journey was eye opening, because it provided key tips to help us thrive in our present and future leadership roles," says Cleo.

"Authenticity was a huge part of the ChangeMaker Conference. Being an authentic leader means that you are aligned with yourself and your morals; being unapologetically you and bringing that into your leadership role. The host, Renee Walker, was a beautiful example of a bright, unapologetic female leader. She was energetic and engaging, and really brought all of the female students together during our periodic dance breaks. The dance breaks made the conference so enjoyable, and we were able to recognise that working with people in our leadership roles was also about having fun, while still being yourself."

Cleo says she highly recommends the ChangeMaker conference as an opportunity for other young female leaders.