By Jadyn Giles
The Women’s and Gender Equity Center and Career Development Center invited students to the Women and Careers Symposium in the University Student Union Ballrooms from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., on March 20.
Open to all students, the event returned for its 18th year. This event included roundtable discussions, a panel, a LinkedIn headshot booth and networking opportunities.
This year’s theme was “Confidence and Perseverance: Empowering Women to Lead.”
“The Women and Careers Symposium has empowered students by providing access to women professionals, fostering mentorship and addressing gender-specific challenges,” Celia Mejia, associate director of the Women’s and Gender Equity Center, said in an email. “It enhances networking opportunities, skill development and career exploration, which includes male-dominated fields.”
The event began with three panelist speakers, Talent Acquisition Manager at Enterprise Mobility Sarah Buford, Salesforce Alliance Manager at Verifiable Priscilla Tran, Partner Alliance Manager at Verifiable and Principal Consultant and Coach at Brazen Communication Coaching and Consulting, Dorine Lawrence-Hughes.
They shared their experiences and knowledge in order to help the next generation of women entering the workforce, speaking about communication in male-dominated spaces, networking tips and more.
“You are all so intelligent and some folks are going to feel uncomfortable around you so they will find words to make you feel smaller,” Lawrence-Hughes said. “Stand in your authenticity, stand in your greatness and know that you are not too much of anything, you are enough”
The main focus of the event was to network and create connections. The panelists shared their thoughts and experiences in creating professional relationships and finding mentors.
“Think of networking as planting seeds and waiting for your trees to grow,” Lawrence-Hughes said. “You’re making new relationships and meeting new people, which is a really important component for landing jobs.”
The panelists said many times in the workplace, it will not be about who you know, it will be about who knows you. They encouraged students to be themselves, and to never change based on who is around.
“When you’re your authentic self, you help other people feel comfortable being their authentic self,” Tran said.
The second half of the event was dedicated to interactive, roundtable discussions.
The topics at the discussions included “Know Your Worth: Salary Negotiation & Career Advancement, Mentorship and Networking: Building Strong Connections” and “Personal Branding: Crafting Your Professional Identity.”
The event concluded with an opportunity drawing for students.
Future events include the Gender Inclusive Training on Tuesday, March 25 and The Beach Women in Engineering Conference on Friday, March 28.
