国产传媒

Mount Saint Mary鈥檚 annual Women鈥檚 Leadership Conference, held in person this past Saturday for the first time since 2019, provided an engaging atmosphere for its 300 attendees with its theme, 鈥淲omen鈥檚 stories: The power to connect, engage and transform.鈥� 

Ashley Joseph, EdD, director of Women鈥檚 Leadership and Community Engagement, welcomed the attendees. 鈥淎s the only women鈥檚 university in Los Angeles, we believe it is our duty and our privilege to provide opportunities like today鈥檚 conference for the community, and for women, to come together to learn, connect and take action.鈥� 

The keynote speaker, Dee O鈥橬eill, MS, LPC, BCN, CEO and co-founder of NeuroCognitive Fitness, discussed the way the brain processes information: it remembers images first. That鈥檚 why you may not remember the plot details of a movie years later, although you very well may remember the way it made you feel. One slide read, 鈥淚nformation alone is useless. It's the value we associate with it that gives it meaning.鈥�

From the opening keynote, the audience 鈥� a mix of leaders from a wide variety of industries and nonprofits, as well as Mount students, faculty and staff 鈥攚as engaged, applauding and cheering the way one might at a sporting event. To describe the crowd as boisterous, in the best possible way, would not be an understatement. 

I want to learn how women can uplift one another, and I want to be in an environment where I can feel this kind of empowerment, said Nishat Salsabil; I think the lessons from this conference will help me bring positive change to the world, to the extent that I can take what I鈥檝e learned today to share positive storytelling tactics.鈥�

Among the participants were repeat attendees, first-timers, those within the Mount community and friends who traveled long distances to take part. Brandy Sato, PhD, assistant head of school at Academy of Our Lady of Peace in San Diego, drove up that morning. She most appreciated the focus on mentorship. 鈥淲e brought four of our wonderful student leaders, part of our association of the student body, to come and listen to fabulous women leaders to inspire, to help us develop our motivation and our reason for being, and to network and make connections. Thank you so much for inviting us!鈥� 

The Alumnae Association sponsored an exclusive workshop, 鈥淣ailing first impressions: Putting your best story forward,鈥� led by Erika Jones '00. Jones helped participants hone their stories so that they could deliver them with confidence to make a strong first impression. 

For the sixth year, the 鈥淓merging professionals mentorship for the day鈥� program provided Mount students an opportunity to meet volunteer mentors in an informal setting to learn from their professional expertise and receive guidance and career advice to support their personal and professional development.  Especially when pairings continue beyond this type of initial meeting, the mentor/mentee bond can lead to an invaluable experience for a student on her leadership journey and make her more likely to give back in a similar fashion when she is established in her career.

Emily Hellstrom 鈥�24, a psychology major, participated in the program and was assigned to mentor Anna Dermenchyan 鈥�08, PhD, a director at UCLA鈥檚 Department of Medicine. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a wonderfully kind and smart woman,鈥� said Hellstrom. 鈥淚'm sure I鈥檒l continue the relationship moving forward; I appreciate any mentorship opportunity I get. There are seven billion people on this planet, and I think each person has opportunities to teach!鈥�

The two sets of concurrent sessions focused on using stories to drive change, advance careers, become a leader, and promote communications and connections. 鈥淚 came here today because I wanted to enhance my storytelling skills,鈥� said Linda Dominguez, chief of external affairs and community partnerships with Girls Scouts of San Gregonio. 鈥淪torytelling is so important in our lives, and I wanted to learn how to tap into people鈥檚 emotions when I鈥檓 sharing my stories about Girls Scouts and its benefits.鈥� 

Filmmaker Anayansi Prado, from 鈥淲omen鈥檚 stories: Driving change through film,鈥� explained that women have a special perspective. 鈥淢y work has to have some emotional movement,鈥� she said. Reiterating a point from the keynote session, she added, 鈥淧eople won鈥檛 remember the facts but they will remember how they felt. Women bring a sensitivity to issues of race and many other issues that men don鈥檛.鈥�

Ashley Blancas 鈥�23, executive vice president of the Student Government Association, said that the panel on storytelling as an essential tool for landing a job was of vital significance for her. 鈥淎s I am preparing to graduate and take on my future career plans, I found the advice for interviewing very beneficial and engaging,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he panelists gave fantastic advice for me to use as I take on the next lead.鈥� 

Stacey Gordon, executive advisor and diversity strategist for Rework Work, says that in addition to telling your own story, you should look closely at the story prospective companies are trying to sell their audiences. 鈥淜nowing something [needs to change] and doing something are two different things. Lots of companies are resistant to change or they think that their status quo is good.鈥� She advises younger workers who feel that they don鈥檛 have enough gravitas to effect change to collaborate and coalesce support from others in the company to make a concentrated stand. 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 fire everybody.鈥�

The closing session, 鈥淟et them laugh: How improv makes you a better storyteller,鈥� had the audience in stitches. Facilitator Kymberlee Weil relayed a story of her pitching a high school softball game that became dicey in the ninth inning until her coach/father came to the mound and, rather than say one word about softball, conspiratorially whispered a joke to her and her catcher that released the building pressure and enabled them to relax, focus and pull out the win. She then led volunteers through several improv performances and audience-wide exercises that drove her point home.

Throughout the conference 鈥� and for two hours afterward to try to meet demand 鈥� a mobile storytelling booth was set up for attendees to share their own stories and be interviewed. Mary Trunk, assistant professor of film, said 鈥渕y goal was to tap into the personal definitions of leadership to show the many ways one can lead.鈥�

鈥淪ome of the more powerful moments in the interviews came from the first generation 国产传媒 students and alums. They clearly understand the contributions of the women who support them and sacrifice for them so they could have the advantages of an education. They also know how to do the same for women who need that help now and in the future.鈥�  

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Session details: 

Opening keynote: The neuroscience of narrative: How stories impact the brain 

Speaker: Dee O鈥橬eill, MS, LPC, BCN, CEO and co-founder of NeuroCognitive Fitness 

Women鈥檚 stories: Driving change through film 

Moderator: Sylvia Hathaway Chavez, executive director, Look What SHE Did!

Panelists:   Yu Gu, filmmaker; Marlene McCurtis, filmmaker; and Anayansi Prado, filmmaker (DBA Impacto Films)

Personal stories and advocacy: Stories for change  

Speaker: Andrea Spagat, program director, StoryCenter

Storytelling: An essential tool for landing your next job

Moderator: Jeanette Ramirez, corporate recruiter, Sketchers

Speakers:  Michelle Bonoan, managing director, Koya Partners; Stacey Gordon, executive advisor and diversity strategist, Rework Work; and Victoria Kurzweg, brand strategist, Microsoft

Magnetically You: Mastering the art of connection and communication

Speaker: Stephanie Zhong, brand strategist, career coach, creator Own Your Own Message

Closing keynote: Let them laugh: How improv makes you a better storyteller

Speaker: Kymberlee Weil