Seats are running out for Mississippi University for Women’s inaugural Women’s Leadership Symposium, an evening pairing 40 MUW Women’s College students with community and business leaders for an event organizers hope will leave both groups feeling confident and encouraged.
The symposium, hosted by the MUW Women’s College and Allegro Family Clinics CEO and Founder Amy Bogue, will feature two guest speakers and networking opportunities for those attending.
The goal is to connect women across industries and give students access to mentors they may not have otherwise had because, Bogue said, being a woman in leadership isn’t always easy.
“There is an unconscious bias, whether people want to admit it or not,” Bogue told The Dispatch on Monday. “You have a leg down, if you will, and you need other women supporting you to make you feel confident that you do belong in the room. … I looked for a long time when I was younger for that type of mentor and leadership, and so I want to offer that to our younger girls because they need it.”
Bogue and Women’s College Director Jill Drouillard first hatched the plan for the symposium over a cup of coffee and a discussion about the importance of women supporting other women.
“I wanted to plan a leadership symposium to really highlight the mission of the women’s college,” Drouillard told The Dispatch on Monday. “We focus on leadership, but given our historic mission, we have an emphasis on women’s leadership and women’s excellence in the past and present.”
Tickets for the event, set for 4-9:30 p.m. Friday at Events Off Fifth with a cocktail light dress code, are $125 and include a three-course meal, an open bar and a DJ. Ticket purchases also support the attendance of 40 women’s college students.
“They’ll have the opportunity to network with other women in the community,” Drouillard said. “We were hoping that a lot of women business owners would attend or other strong, powerful women in the community, so the students could network with them.”
The symposium will also include two featured speakers, including Jeanette Jurczyk, national director of the She Said Project, a women’s storytelling organization and empowerment program and the producer of the live storytelling series, “That’s What She Said.”
Joining Jurczyk, Katina Holliday, an MUW alumna and founder and CEO of Holliday’s Helping Hands, will be speaking Friday. Holliday is a recognized leader in developing innovative solutions to homelessness in California.
“Having the speakers is really exciting, and I hope that (the students) are motivated,” Bogue said. “I know when I go to these types of events, I walk away better than I arrived, and I’m more encouraged that I met somebody there that makes me a better person. There’s a lot of positive that can come out of this.”
Event sponsorships are also available to purchase, with proceeds benefiting the MUW Women’s College High-Impact Fund, which supports students with internships, study abroad opportunities and conference travel costs, among others. Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased at pci.jotform.com/form/261384290707056.
With support from sponsorships and ticket sales at the event, Drouillard hopes the symposium – one she plans to make an women’s college annual event – helps fund more opportunities for students.
“The women’s college offers a lot of opportunities in the forms of going to leadership summits, going to conferences, undertaking internships, doing studyaways, and (we) just want them to grab a hold of the opportunities that the women’s college has to offer them, but also make them feel more confident in their abilities,” she said.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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