Student-MadeJan 12, 2017

updated Nov 13, 2023

What does it take to become a leader?

For more than two years, Miss Hall’s students interviewed women in leadership positions around the country, then produced a one-hour documentary to tell their story

What does it take for a woman to maintain her highest aspirations and become a leader?

When a group of ambitious Miss Hall’s students wanted to know the answers to this and other questions, they sought out accomplished women for their insights. Their 45-minute documentary, A Seat at the Table: Six Girls Ask, “What Does It Take to Become a Leader?”, chronicles the girls’ efforts to find answers to their questions and shares the story of what they learned along the way.

During a period of two years, the students interviewed more than a dozen successful women leaders — Carol Christ, then the President of Smith College; Tiffany Dufu, then the President of The White House Project; and U.S. Senator Kristen Gillibrand; among others. The girls asked questions about leadership, careers, and hurdles to future success. Among their questions: What does it take for a woman to become a leader? Is it possible to have a career and a family? Will there be help along the way?

This groundbreaking film, underwritten by Miss Hall’s School, with funding from Schoolhouse Kitchen and The Page & Otto Marx Foundation, Jr. Foundation, debuted in 2012 with a series of screenings nationwide, and its message continues to resonate today.