October 27, 2020MBU students, masked and distanced, gathered in the Student Activities Center to watch live-streamed keynotes and participate in Q&A sessions.
The second annual Women’s Leadership Symposium on October 24 wove together meaningful speeches, practical advice, and participation from industry experts, workshop facilitators, and attendees both on campus and across the country.
Three keynote speakers gave insight into their unique perspectives on leadership and mentorship, telling stories from their careers and summarizing key take-aways for the audience to put into practice in their own lives.
A live Q&A followed each speaker so both in-person and virtual attendees could engage directly with the experts.
MBU students also had the opportunity to attend break-out sessions and workshops during the day where they gained tools to help them prepare for entering the job market after graduation.
“I knew that the different guests and speakers would offer priceless advice on how to expedite my confidence in being a strong, working woman.”
— Courtney Rosenstadt ’23
“I would say that my mother, Dr. [Carey] Usher, and other strong women in my life influenced me to participate in the symposium, because we as women should learn from each other.”
— Savanna Nobles ’22
Speaker Dara Beevas ’02 placed her remarks firmly in the context of 2020 and all its challenges, looking back to her time at Mary Baldwin and thinking about the questions, fears, and plans her college-aged self would have been experiencing.
Throughout her talk, she identified three ways of being in the world and working through challenges: survival mode, hustle mode, and, finally, purpose mode. The first two are important to acknowledge, she said, but unsustainable.
“We often move along doing the thing we’re supposed to do, instead of doing the thing that we are called to do,” Beevas said.
The third option, purpose mode, is the path to conscious and effective leadership — and also the source of productive mentorship. It opens people up to curiosity, growth, and stretching themselves toward new challenges.
“In purpose mode, you are centering the voice inside, who already knows where they should be in this moment, and they know why,” Beevas said.
“The world is starving for your leadership, your creativity, your ideas, and your willingness to have tough conversations.”
— Speaker Dara Beevas ’02, publisher and author
“It was really meaningful to me when speaker Dara Beevas asked us to ask ourselves ‘Where am I being called?’ It was something that I had to actually sit there and think about. I am so focused on getting my degree that I haven’t asked myself ‘Is this my calling? Do my personal values align with this career?’”
— Jasmine Matthews ’21
Dr. Leigh Frame ’06 was the second keynote speaker for the symposium on the theme of mentors and allies in healthcare. She gave advice on how to find an effective, knowledgeable, and available mentor in the healthcare world, and how they can help their mentees develop into healthcare leaders.
“Mentorship is many things including sharing knowledge,” Frame said, “and then inspiration — how you can inspire others to become a leader or change healthcare or get into the healthcare field initially.”
She identified different types of mentoring — coaching, guidance, and inspiration — and the strategic value they each bring, together with shadowing a healthcare professional to absorb what the career is like day to day.
Thinking about attendees who are interested in joining a healthcare profession, Frame gave tips on different introductory and entry roles that are available, and on staying persistent.
“The moral of the story is just keep trying,” she said. “Don’t be discouraged if your mentor doesn’t respond to you at first. Don’t be discouraged if being a hospice volunteer didn’t work out for you. Try something else.”
Watch Frame’s full presentation here.
“There are so many kinds of positions in healthcare that you have to find the one that’s right for you. And this is also true of your mentor, you have to find the right mentor or mentors for you.”
— Speaker Dr. Leigh Frame ’06, integrative medicine researcher and program director
“It really meant a lot to hear Dr. Frame speak about the many challenges and wins she has faced in her field, all while providing such impactful advice to those of us seeking healthcare-related careers.”
— Emily Carroll ’18, administrative assistant and graduate student at MBU’s Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences
MBU students had the opportunity to participate in sessions and conversations on career preparation, nontraditional mentorship, men as allies, networking for their first job, and salary negotiation; here facilitated by Nell Desmond, director of the Vantage Point, MBU’s office of personal and professional development.
“I am in a place where I would love to mentor anyone that would need to know all about my expertise in my field of dentistry. I have so much knowledge that I’m ready to pass on to anyone who would benefit from it. I want people to love what they do.”
— Janitza Rivera ’99, assistant office manager, Smiles for Life
I’m looking forward to next years women’s leadership Symposium.
God Bless
Jani
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