Not all the women will be catty or unpleasant. Hang out with the ones you get along with, and don't seek the company of the ones who annoy you. I always tell my teenage daughter to just leave the conversation if it turns catty or gossipy. You're not obligated to participate in that crap, and your leaving those conversations sends a message. You can also say something like, "Oh, I hate gossip, let's not talk about the others in the program." This will shame the person doing the gossip and you will probably find you have allies in the conversation group who also don't really like gossip but were too spineless to say anything. Set a good example! As ECHOES said, this is a great opportunity for you to grow. And maybe others will grow too, because of your leadership.