Merion Mercy Students Take Part in Global Leadership Conference for Girls

Three Merion Mercy community members recently joined peers from across the U.S. and Northern Ireland for the Mercy Girl Effect Global Leadership Conference at Gwynedd Mercy University. The annual conference brought together 36 students and 12 chaperones  to develop leadership skills and explore global issues affecting women and girls.

Merion Mercy students Giovanna Girardi ’27 and Emma McCullagh ’26 participated in this year’s gathering, accompanied by Director of External Relations and Mercy Girl Effect co-founder Mrs. Eileen Killeen. Merion Mercy alumna Cierra Parker ’20, a past participant and continuing advocate, was also in attendance.

The Mercy Girl Effect movement—co-founded 20 years ago with Sister Deirdre Mullen, RSM, an Irish Sister of Mercy who works with UNICEF at the United Nations—empowers students to take action on behalf of girls worldwide. “It’s about uniting students across the Mercy network to raise awareness and support of girls’ education worldwide,” said Mrs. Killeen.

Since its founding in 2005, the program has raised funds to build schools in Cambodia and Sudan, install wells in Nigeria, refurbish a hospital in Haiti, and provide scholarships for hundreds of girls in developing nations, along with many other initiatives.