Betting on Leaders: Bowdoin Women Play Poker, Win Leadership Skills
By Rebecca GoldfineAbout 100 Bowdoin students, staff, and alumni recently spent an evening in Main Lounge playing poker. The point was not to pile up chips (though that was fun for the winners), but rather to become stronger leaders in all walks of life.
The cards and chips were brought out for Texas Hold'em, and for the second annual Women's Leadership Celebration, organized by the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Center (SWAG), Student Leadership Development, and the Bowdoin Network of Women (BNOW).
The celebration brings together team captains, club presidents, student government members, residential life staff, mentors, and organizers—“remarkable women who lead, inspire, and shape our campus,” said SWAG Director Natalie Turrin. Also invited are staff, faculty, and alumni—those who “guide, advise, and cheer on” students.
This year, Turrin and Sara Binkhorst ’15, director of Student Leadership Development, wanted to build on the successes they saw emerge from last year's celebration by “doing something that left an impact.”
“Last year we saw the power of bringing women student leaders in a room to celebrate them,” Turrin said.
“The vision was to do that once again, but to also bring in an element that would help students build skills, to set them up for bigger and better things.”
“What has become a theme with this celebration, both last year and this year, is the cross-pollination of women leaders on campus.” — Sara Binkhorst.
All-in
Binkhorst remains close to her former Bowdoin roommate Alexa Yurick ’15, who is head of revenue and commercial strategy at Poker Power. The two collaborated to bring the program to the College this spring.
On its website, Poker Power explains that it teaches women how to play poker “so they can compete and succeed in business, finance, and life, all in a fun, supportive, and safe-to-fail environment.” Its instructors organize card-playing events (with no money involved) at organizations, businesses, and schools across the country.
At the recent poker night at Bowdoin, eight instructors from Poker Power, including Yurick, spread across Main Lounge to advise eight tables of students. Additionally, staff from the Student Affairs division and ten visiting alumni in the Bowdoin Network of Women (BNOW) joined the game. President Safa Zaki also decided to try her hand.
Before any card was dealt, Poker Power instructor Lisa Pickell introduced those in the room to the concept of playing poker to develop leadership skills. She also ran through the rules.
A champion poker player herself, Pickell said, “What I am learning through this game is that we can take our seats any gosh darn place we want to be. And we believe the skills of this poker game are going to elevate you to wherever you want to be.”
Drilling down on what exactly the game imparts to its players, Pickell listed a few key abilities: negotiating tactics, risk assessment, confidence, reading people, and decision making. “Poker is placed in an environment of imperfect information, where we make pressured decisions under conditions of uncertainty,” she said.
“Students are receptive to the idea that leaders don’t show up fully formed, they are nurtured and developed. ”
—Natalie Turrin, director of SWAG
Dani Mursy ’28, who joined the event, said she loved the evening, both for providing “an opportunity to connect with other powerful woman” and for teaching applicable skills.
“This event served as a reminder to me that I belong in any space,” Musry said, “especially male-dominated ones, as long as I maintain confidence in myself, even when no one else might—and especially when I have a terrible deck of cards!”
Jackie Miller ’25, who helped plan the event, said, “I can honestly say that the Poker Power event was one of my favorite experiences during my time at Bowdoin,” a feeling echoed by others. “The next day, I asked a few friends for feedback, and they raved about how successful the evening was—even asking if they could sign up for another Poker Power event next year.”
Also reflecting on the night, Turrin reinforced the link between confidence, decision making, and poker. “I think about the ways so many women are reared to think that they have to have all the information to make the right decision, and if they aren’t 100 percent prepared for something they shouldn’t go for it,” she said. She added that it was exciting to see students realize the fallacy of this notion “in real time.”
Pickell stressed the importance of not just bravely making thoughtful decisions, but accepting their consequences. “One of the most important leadership skills we focus on at Poker Power is the quality of our decisions rather than the outcomes,” she said.
“That's hard to do because most of us our results-based thinkers, and we want to believe that if we make a good decision, it will lead to a good outcome, and a bad decision will lead to a bad outcome. Well, that's not reality.”
Increasingly, Bowdoin has concentrated on encouraging students to develop their own potential to inspire and lead. “Students are receptive to the idea that people aren’t born leaders, but rather that leadership skills are cultivated and learned, often in groups with peers and mentors,” Turrin said. “Leaders don’t show up fully formed—they are nurtured, grown, and developed.”
Photos by Michele Stapleton.