Scripps College senior Kristie Hernandez participates today in “A Global Conversation: Women Leaders Responding to the United Nations General Assembly,” an event hosted by the Women in Public Service Project (WPSP) and the U.N. General Assembly.

The conference will stream live online beginning at 6:00pm EDT. Kristie’s panel begins at 7:00pm EDT.

A political science major, Kristie will address the role of women’s leadership in reforming national security policies, particularly as they relate to prisons and punitive disciplinary policies.

Today’s program includes two panels: the first features Kristie and other student representatives from eight women’s colleges and is moderated by WPSP Executive Director Rangita de Silva de Alwis. The second features former U.S. Congresswoman Jane Harman, U.S. Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer, two members of the Council of Women World Leaders, and Farah Pandith, U.S. special representative to Muslim communities.

Both panels will focus on one of the major issues under discussion at this year’s General Assembly meetings.

As the first recipient of Scripps College’s Gabrielle Giffords Internship Grant in Public Service, Kristie recently served as an intern for the Labor Community Strategy Center’s community rights, which placed her on the front lines of a collaborative research effort with Justice for Families. Through her internship, Kristie conducted research on what the school-to-prison pipeline looks like for certain students.

WPSP is a joint initiative of the U.S. State Department, leading women’s colleges such as Scripps College, Mills College, and Mount St. Mary’s, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Its intent is to bring more talented women into leadership roles in politics, government, and intergovernmental organizations.

In December of 2011, many of the world’s most influential women leaders – including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde – gathered in Washington, D.C., for a colloquium that marked the official launch of the WPSP. In March 2013, Scripps College and Mount St. Mary’s College will host the Institute for Women’s Leadership in Latin America.

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