Becoming Her: A women’s circle about becoming the woman you want to be
By Watiyeli Taylor \ Sept. 29, 2026
Becoming Her is a women’s circle focusing on identity, confidence, connection, and becoming the woman you want to be. Starting on September 16th, the Counseling Center will be hosting this group every Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. in Room 308 of Bartlett Hall.
Counselor and Student Mental Health & Recovery Support Lexi Anderson was inspired to create this group by a poem and a lunch break conversation with her supervisor, Claudia Werner, assistant dean of students for counseling and student well-being. The poem is called “Imagine a Woman” by Patricia Lynn Reilly.
“As I read it, I was going through each paragraph, and I was like, for me personally, this is the type of woman I want to be. I want to be a woman who loves her own body, or a woman who trusts and respects herself, or is about uplifting and empowering other women as well…I’m a 34-year-old woman who struggles with that; I can guarantee young college women are too,” Anderson said.
Anderson saw the need for this on campus in the students and herself. Her plan for this circle is to practice embodying the women in the poem by examining a paragraph each week until they become the ideal woman they want to become. They will discuss how they implemented what they learned and the challenges they faced. The hope is that they can help and learn from each other.
This women’s circle is different from groups like this on campus because Anderson is a permanent staff member instead of an intern. Previously, groups like this left with those interns at the end of the year. Her hope is that the group gets the chance to evolve into something more student-led that can continue even without a staff member.
Anderson talked about the importance of female camaraderie as one of the reasons students should join. She said that as you get older, it becomes more difficult to make close friends as a woman. She also talked about how formative these college years are in becoming the person you want to be.
“Creating that connection is the most important thing that I want anybody to get out of it…I want my group members to be able to leave loving themselves even more,” said Anderson.
Anderson said the process of creating this group happened really fast and was “meant to be”. However, a big challenge was student engagement in the beginning. Anderson said, “You can’t really have a group with two people, because then it just becomes a meeting.”
The group has had several people sign up since. They will welcome anyone who wants to join, but will be capping out at 10.
For those who don’t get a chance to be a part of this group, the counseling center is also offering Uplift Thursdays throughout the fall semester. These events range from meditation to movies to craft nights. There is something for everyone, and they serve as a way to learn about coping and resilience to get through college.
The counseling center continues to be a resource to any MC student that wants it.