On March 31, APU’s Center for Career and Calling held EmpowHER. “EmpowHER Women’s Night will highlight successful career women from diverse cultural backgrounds to empower students in their career aspirations,” said Jade Chan, graduate assistant and career consultant at the Center for Career Calling and coordinator of the event, referring to the description from the event website.
There were six panelists at the event: Fabiola Morin, a general manager and director of regional distribution center with Target; Jamie Blanco, a human resources market leader also with Target; Jaclyn A. Schroeder, director of Roxy specialty sales and teen chains; Theresa Mercado, VP of procurement for LootCrate; Angel Duncan, Psy.D., a psychologist with APU’s Counseling Center; and Tensie Taylor, the assistant director of the USC Black Alumni Association, a red carpet host and an award-winning author.
The hour-long panel intended to empower women at APU through the panelists’ stories of advancing their careers, lessons about the importance of gender equality and mentorship and key tips to accomplishing work-life balance. They offered wonderful bits of advice for entering into a career.
Schroeder explained how it is necessary for women to “put yourself out there.” She emphasized the need to get the most out of the job or internship opportunity by accepting positions and asking questions.
When the panelists were asked about their mentors, Taylor mentioned that mentors could be anyone who had helped along the way. She told a story about when she first started out. She came to work wearing a pair of pants that she thought was cute. Her manager pulled Taylor to the side and kindly told her that it was inappropriate for the workplace.
Morin told a story of a man who encouraged her when she was applying to her job to be a director where it was largely male-dominated. She felt like she had been successful for all the years beforehand, but began to doubt herself
“Look, I believe in you. There’s a lot of people that believe in you. The biggest obstacle, the reason why you fail, is because you don’t believe in yourself,” he told Morin. “So, I need you to start believing in yourself, because you have a lot of people behind you.”
After the panel, students were given the opportunity to network and connect with employers and receive information on internships, graduate programs and volunteering opportunities. It was like a small career fair outside the conference room with tables for Target, LootCrate, Roxy, APU Graduate Programs and Counseling Center, Peace Corps and the Center for Student Action.
This is what Chan wanted to give to the students at APU: empowerment through opportunities. “There were not a lot of events on campus tailored toward students of color and women in the workplace or woman empowerment. We wanted to create that space for students to hear these stories from diverse women leaders,” Chan said.