#UnstoppableLATINAS Leadership Summit
On March 27th, I attended the #UnstoppableLATINAS Leadership Summit hosted by Webcitygirls. The conference's theme focused on leadership told by multiple panels of Latinas in media and technology. Aside from the panels, I had time to network with fellow students and companies such as 100 Hispanic Women National, JCPenny's and La Musica.
It's important for women of color to find inspiration and motivation from other women of color. It gave me the opportunity to interact with people in the industry and learn how we can unite, empower and learn from each other.
A common theme in the summit was women empowerment especially in powerful roles in business, marketing, etc. Only 5% of women make up Fortune's 500 CEO roles. A small portion of that percentage relates to women of color.
There were three panels that stood out to me:
Powerhouse Latinas: Thought Leadership Through Purposeful Business
By investing in women, we invest in communities. The panelists redefine the meaning of leadership. All four women are examples of role models paving the way for other women to grow in their respective field.
As the statistic I provided above, many women in high positions or women working in a mostly men businesses have a chance to provide growth for their company, but have to work just as hard to get on their male counterparts' levels.
"You need to be in the rooms where decisions are happening to make an impact," said Lucienne Gigante.
In order to learn and better understand the industry, we should invest in female mentors in our field. It's beneficial to always be curious and ask questions towards individuals in your desired role. Mentorship can be difficult, but there are steps students can take to make the relationship beneficial and organic. By looking up at these powerful women, students can look at the issues in their current environment and change it.
Panelists:
Madein Bosakewich - VP of Sales IBT Media
Lucienne Gigante - Co-founder of Access Latina
Liz Blacker - EVP of Multicultural Strategy and Sales at iHeartMedia
Carolina Santamarina - General Manager/Vice President of Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS)
Collaboration Not Competition: Unite & Conquer
"It only takes one person to be on your side: You," said Ivette Mayo. "We have to speak our own self-truth."
Similar to the previous panel, the panelists gave tips in expanding outside of one mentor. Young professionals should start surrounding themselves with a group of influencers (whether they're in your field or not) and maintain a strong support system.
There's a huge issue for women of color in figuring out micro-aggressions. In the workplace, it can be difficult to have people on your side, but expressing yourself and calling out issues can shatter the box and destroy preconceptions of successful Latina women.
Panelists:
Ivette Mayo - Founder of POWER on Heels Network
Lynn Ponder - Creator of #UnstoppableLATINAS & Founder of webcitygirls.com
Olga Maria - Founder of DreamsInHeels.com
Workshop Presented By Neutrogena: Radiance is the NEW Business Card
We ended the whole summit with a workshop on building goals for your career and your own personal life. For work-driven people, we have the habit of working too hard or not giving ourselves enough credit.
The life coach provided tips on how to maintain and grow our own individual goals - big or small:
1) Be specific.
2) Be measurable.
3) Attainable
4) Be realistic.
5) Time certain.
As students, it's important to create goals to reach towards our desired career path or use those goals to enhance the skills at work. Aside from creating goals, it's important to stay focus and not let distractions cloud your judgement.
Tying it back to the previous panels, we should surround ourselves with a support system that enables us to create and develop the goals we've set out for ourselves. We shouldn't let negativity and criticism stop us from obtaining our desires. "It's none of your business what people think about you," said Maria Caso.
As consumers, we're hoping for brands to be authentic and we should hold that same accountability to individuals. If we stay authentic, then people will trust and value our ideas and opinions. The highs and lows in our journey to our career paths only makes us eager to learn and grow. The main key in this workshop is finding your authentic self.
Speaker:
Maria Caso - Certified Life Coach
The leadership summit gave me the opportunity to be apart of a community of successful women. It gave me the courage to ask questions, challenge societal norms and think about goals in a strategic way.
