The Associated Students of Colorado State University Women’s Caucus will host Fort Collins City Councilwoman Kristin Stephens as a guest speaker March 5 from 12 to 1 p.m. in ASCSU’s senate chamber.

“We will be inviting her to come speak as a woman who has gotten elected into a traditionally male-dominated field and as having a unique perspective as she is the only woman from Fort Collins City Council,” said Merall Sherif, the ASCSU Senator for the Women and Gender Advocacy Center who started the ASCSU Women’s Caucus.

With the ASCSU election happening right after spring break, Sherif says that she hopes Stephens’ speech will empower women-identifying people to seek more student government and servant leadership positions.

“I want everyone to be able to have an opportunity to see a leader in their Fort Collins community who’s really making a difference and who’s using her voice,” Sherif said.

Along with offering women-identifying people a chance to hear Stephens speak, the event will also serve as a platform for women-identifying people to voice their own concerns and ideas.

“We want to open this event up to all women-identifying members of the campus to come in and talk,” Sherif said. “This just goes back to the objectives that we’re working towards in the Women’s Caucus to be able to recruit women into ASCSU and make them feel welcome in that space.”

One of Sherif’s goals for the Women’s Caucus is to invite inspirational guest speakers to inspire and empower women-identifying people. This event marks the first time the Women’s Caucus will host a guest speaker.

The idea of inviting Stephens formulated from feedback activities during a provisional meeting for the Women’s Caucus that took place on Monday. By Tuesday, it was announced at another provisional meeting that Stephens would be speaking for the Women’s Caucus.

Sherif said she believes that Stephens is the perfect person to inspire upcoming women-identifying leaders.

“I personally believe that empowered women empower women,” Sherif said. “I am humbled and honored to have Councilwoman Stephens come and speak, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to meet a new mentor and to learn from and potentially transcribe some of her wisdom to our campus.”

Collegian reporter Matt Bailey can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @matnes1999.