A panel of eight women at the top of their fields empowered students, especially girls, to work hard and push themselves March 24 in the large forum room. Speakers included women in business, education, and law enforcement.

After the panel discussion, there was a tea party held in the small forum room where students could further interact with our guests.

“Sometimes we need to focus on the contributions of women. We don’t talk about it a lot and they often get marginalized and it’s important to bring it to the forefront,” event organizer and junior dean Jennifer Rowe said.

The panel focused on a lot of statistics in the different fields. In general, the highest level of employment in any given profession is male dominant, and when women do hold a position at that level, they are paid significantly less.

“Girls don’t get enough credit for being as strong as we really are. We can take on as many challenges as men and women often forget that we have so much potential,” junior Giana Pucci said.

The panelists all agreed that having a mentor to help them through the ranks was imperative to some of their success. A lot of these women were the first women in their fields to achieve such a high position.

“This were real life examples of how women can actually have and handle these jobs and it’s possible to do this,” sophomore Abbey Cihlar said.

One of the main goals of the panel was to inspire students to forge their own paths as they continue their academic careers and carry it into their professional lives. The only way to change the male dominated statistics is to take action and be that change.

“I feel like I work with a lot of amazing people and I work with a lot of amazing women and its always great to have the opportunity to collaborate and create something together,” Rowe said.

By Autumn Hagemaster