Forty students kicked off the semester this past week by attending the 12th annual Women's Leadership Conference, a six-day event examining women's lives and leadership at Harvard and beyond.

Participants joined in an intensive series of workshops, panel discussions and other activities beginning last Wednesday. A keynote address was delivered Monday morning by Marie C. Wilson, founder of Take Our Daughters to Work Day. Wilson is president of the Ms. Foundation and president of the White House Project, an organization seeking to create the political conditions for women to launch successful presidential campaigns.

The event was coordinated by the Women's Leadership Project (WLP), a student group founded in 1988 dedicated to helping women succeed at Harvard and in the world. WLP board members chose the conference participants from about 100 applications last spring.

Participants said the conference was extremely rewarding, helping them to consider issues relating to women and society while surrounded by a group of talented peers.

"It was just such a high level of conversation at all times," said Laura Bacon '02. "The women really challenged me to think about myself and about being a leader."

The conference's panel discussions, featuring mostly women panelists, each focused on women in different fields: public service, academia, government, health and science, business and the media.

The conference's workshops, during which conference participants discussed issues among themselves, dealt with topics including campus leadership, interviewing for jobs and diversity.

The conference also included dinner conversations with guests on selected topics and lunches with administrators such as Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis '70-'73. Area restaurants such as Bertucci's and Skewers provided meals.

Of the 35 participants, most were seniors. The sole male participant, Geoffrey A. Fowler '00, was a welcome addition, said Peggy T. Lim '01, WLP co-chair.

"I think that there is room for men who are sensitive to women's issues who are interested in learning more," Lim said.

At a final dinner Monday night, each participant talked about what they had gotten from the experience. Laura T. Lee '00, a participant, said the conference ended on a positive note.

"It energized me for the coming year," she said. "It exceeded my expectations so greatly."

The conference was sponsored by Radcliffe College, Harvard and the Institute of Politics.