Hey it would be super helpful if the people who got selected could share a bit about their stats, projects, etc. I’m a sophomore and I would love to try again next year so it’d be great to know what I could improve on
I just called them, and they said that they’re aiming to notify the ones who got in by tomorrow or tomorrow and they’ll be notifying the other people next week.
@Ghenez My GPA is not a 4.0 but it is very close. I think the people at ANNpower are looking for passion, leadership and a desire to make a change in the world. They obviously look at academic factors but I don’t think it is the main factor of acceptance 
@Ghenez @Tswizzle16 I have a 4.0 UW (for now haha, junior year is rough), but I really don’t think the selection process is about that. Last year my project plans were very lofty and were definitely not concrete, and I think this year having a product to show them really helped make my project seem more feasible. Like ThatCaliGirl said, I think passion is the most important aspect, and having a personal story to connect with your project really helps.
In terms of what my project is about, I’m expanding the club model I created to supplement the lacking mental health curriculum in high schools in order to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Also, I don’t know how much weight was given to ECs and the rec, but I got my rec from my advisor/principal who knows about the work I’ve done and who I’ve fostered a good relationship with. For ECs I play the cello, sing in choir, write for the school paper, the general stuff. I think having leadership positions in school helps, along with maybe having a few awards.
Please please please everyone, apply again next year! You never know what could happen, and who knows, they might really appreciate it if you show them you’re really committed and excited about the program by applying again.
Congrats guys! but since it’s only one per state, do you guys mind me asking what state you all are from? Curious to know if I should stop refreshing my inbox every five minutes lol
@greetings12 I’m from California (if you couldn’t tell from my username haha). I wouldn’t lose hope if there’s someone else from your state though since last year there were 3 fellows from Texas!
Thanks so much for all the advice guys and congrats! good luck to everyone else this is a great program but everyone seems pretty amazing!
@thatcaligirl ah that’s great news for me cause I’m from Texas thanks!
@greetings12 I’m from New York (upstate, not the city). I don’t think they only accept one fellow per state, otherwise I definitely would not have gotten it!
So has everyone who has gotten selected been notified by now? I haven’t gotten a response yet so I’m assuming I haven’t been selected! Or are there still going to be acceptance emails sent out next week?
I’m just assuming I got rejected, but I don’t know when they sent/are going to send acceptance emails, because it seems as if no one got accepted today. No one posted on twitter or CC, so I honestly don’t know. I emailed them though, so we’ll figure out soon!
When I emailed them a couple of days ago, they said we would be notified the first week of May. I’m guessing that they just notified all those who were selected this week and now they’re waiting to see if anyone backs out or can’t go after all so that way they can fill the place before sending out the rejections in May. Just my guess though. Idk, I’ve just accepted the idea that I didn’t get in.
The problem is, I only saw 2 people post on Twitter that they got in and a couple of people on CC, and I’m sure more people would have said that they got accepted if 50 people did. Idk, I’m just assuming I didn’t get in so I don’t feel as disappointed when emails are sent out.
I feel you girl! I really wanted to get in, but it’s alright
I feel you guys too!! I was so in love with the program and I really wanted to do it. Congrats to everyone that got in though! I saw someone post on Facebook that 3,700 girls applied this year.
@Einsteingirly Who posted that?
@annie4564 I searched ANNpower on Facebook to see if there was a Facebook page for it and one of the first results that came up was a girl’s post about how she had just gotten accepted and that there were 3,700 applicants. Although, I saw someone else on Instagram post that 5,000 applied, so I am not sure who is correct.
Hi guys,
I recently found out I was accepted as a fellow to attend the Vital Voices Leadership Conference and I thought I could be of some use by sharing on how I got in for all of those who are discouraged to apply next year. I hope that if you weren’t accepted this year that you will reapply next year, because it looks like those who didn’t make it last year and reapplied were able to think more in depth about what they are truly passionate about. In my essays, I wrote about my personal experiences and how it inspired me to create change in an area that I am really passionate about. What might help is thinking about something that YOUR community faces; it can be a small or big project.
If you look through all of the past fellows, they were able to create change on both a small and large scale. Many of the girls also had a different approach–one girl last year connected people in her community through kickboxing, and another through her clubs at school. I think the common misconception is that those who are accepted into this program already had established projects or a foundation for building their non-profit organization. While this may sometimes be the case, they also accept girls who are WILLING to be leaders and are willing to learn-- you don’t need to be established in your area of interest, you just need to be passionate and driven.
Another misconception is that they are looking for 4.0 GPAs, stellar academics, and a long list of extracurriculars. If you don’t have a 4.0 GPA or perfect scores on your standardized tests, don’t be discouraged. As a few users posted before me, they AREN’T looking for perfect students and I don’t think GPA has anything to do with the decision making process, although it is strongly preferred to have stable grades and a good GPA. I have a good GPA but it is not perfect. My grades are good, but also not perfect. My extracurriculars are very extensive and I have leadership positions in clubs which probably helped, but I would like to point out that I am not captain of 3 sports teams at school and I did not have anything super spectacular on my list of extracurriculars. If I can remember correctly, the application only asked for ONE extracurricular that was most important. Again, I wrote briefly about how one of my extracurriculars inspired me to create change.
My point is, don’t be discouraged if you didn’t get accepted this year because there is always next year! There is really no formula for getting accepted-- no minimum GPA, no particular list of extracurriculars, and it doesn’t matter what state you come from because I don’t think there is a quota of acceptances from each state.
All you need is one innovative idea of how to create change in your community so that more women can have their voices heard. I do think that the best projects or ideas stem from personal experiences because it shows that you are reflective and inspired by those in your community or personal life who led you to become who you are today. It also never hurts to think outside the norm when it comes to these things because you need to take into consideration how many applicants may have the same idea as you. The application specifically asks for an “innovative idea or solution” to address “one problem facing your community”. Also, a helpful tip may be to research past fellows and grantees to see what the committee for Vital Voices is looking for. I did this and it really helped, because I was able to see how these young girls were so passionate about creating change in different ways that I had never heard of. All you really need is one idea, and it doesn’t have to be super intricate; the point of this fellowship program is to learn through mentorship on how to make one dream, one plan, one idea, a reality so that we may change the way women are treated and viewed in society.
Therefore, I hope that every girl who applied and didn’t get accepted will feel motivated to reapply because it will show them that you are determined enough to keep trying. This would also be a good time to start narrowing some ideas so that you can use your experiences and passion as a driving force for your application. It took me a while to come really think about something specific and tangible, so don’t be discouraged if your idea doesn’t come to you right away. Also, congratulations to all of those accepted and I hope to meet all of you soon!
@jellybelly11 thank you so much for your comment, it was really helpful!! I hope you enjoy the conference in June!
@jellybelly11 thanks so much for the advice! I was pretty deflated that I didn’t get selected as I thought I had everything that appealed to annpower (ec.s, leadership positions, passion, personal story, etc). But I guess there is always next year! Do you guys know if there is any program like annpower, I would love to apply for that and I’m sure a lot of us here would as well!