Summit showed girls, women ways to future success
Hundreds attend, hear strategies for empowerment.
Perseverance, passion, resilience, and hard work.
Those themes came up time and again Sunday at the third annual Empower Yourself: Be the Force Leadership Summit, presented by Total Package Girl. A few hundred girls and women spent their afternoon at the Stranahan Theater learning from women of various backgrounds and professions as they told their stories of rising to the challenge.
Start High School sophomore Shania Ratcliff, 15, said she attended the event because she wanted to hear from successful women and learn how they reached their dreams. She listened to a cardiac electrophysiologist, a fashion designer, a local executive, a newspaper editor, and many more share their stories from the stage.
Shania’s goal is to keep improving her basketball skills, and many of the lessons shared by about two dozen speakers Sunday are things she can use to help her achieve that.
“I want to see experiences, stuff to help me reach my goals,” she said.
Shania’s mother, Shani Mixon, also attended the summit and brought along several students from McKinley Elementary School who are in Toledo Public Schools’ Young Women of Excellence program.
“This is our first time coming, but when we saw the flyer that said ‘girl empowerment,’ that’s one of the values that we have for young women of excellence,” she said. “We thought it would be great to come.”
The presentation by Madison Saul, a University of Toledo student and professional dancer, resonated with many in the audience. She received a standing ovation for sharing her experience of overcoming bullying while on the dance team in high school.
“I learned how important it is to love yourself no matter what anyone says, because I lost so much time doubting myself when I could have been living my life to the fullest and taking advantage of every opportunity presented to me in those years,” she told the audience. “You are strong, beautiful, and talented. Drive yourself to show the world your best you every day.”
La’Nasia Harper, 10, said she was excited to meet Saul after the summit. She attended the presentation with a family friend through church, Springfield High School business teacher Bonita Adams.
Adams said she initially wanted to attend to support her fellow Springfield teacher McKenna Reitz, a keynote speaker at the event.
“When I really started to see what the program was all about, I wanted to bring some young ladies with me,” she said.
Adams’ daughters are grown and live out of state, so she brought La’Nasia and her next-door neighbor along.
“I’m hoping their stories that they’ve been sharing about themselves will help them to be encouraged not to give up and persevere,” she said of the day’s speakers.
Ashlynn Hueston, 15, named her presentation “barrier-breaker.” She shared her experience of working as a caddie, a girl in a male-dominated field. She also spoke briefly about playing football for the last seven years. Last year, she became the first girl to score points in the City League.
“I’ve done a lot of things that girls really don’t do,” Ashlynn said as the crowd applauded.
She said she wanted to speak at the summit to show girls it’s OK to buck stereotypes.
“Caddying has helped me in several ways with my social skills and confidence,” she said.