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Friday March 29th

School of Business virtually hosts 11th annual Women’s Leadership Summit

<p><em>The School of Business hosted the 11th annual Women’s Leadership Summit on Nov. 10 (Photo courtesy of Nicole Beagin).</em></p>

The School of Business hosted the 11th annual Women’s Leadership Summit on Nov. 10 (Photo courtesy of Nicole Beagin).

By Gina Mancuso
Signal Contributor

Students, faculty and staff gathered virtually with local business owners and community members on Nov. 10 for the 11th annual Women’s Leadership Summit, hosted virtually by the School of Business. The one-day webinar consisted of a series of guest speakers, including an introduction from this year’s keynote speaker and author of “The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Relationships,” Sarah McPherson. 

McPherson’s book focuses on the power of meaningful relationships in the workplace and reclaiming the power of genuine human connection in a world full of social media networking. In her presentation at today’s summit, she discussed her “Gather, Ask, Do” method, a three-step process to help individuals connect on a human level and build authentic relationships both in and out of the workplace. 

Collective discussions continued throughout the day, including “Listen Like You Mean It: How to Be a Better Listener from the Boardroom to the Dinner Table,” a sit-down discussion with writer Ximena Vengoechea and College alumna Denise Spirito that focused on the importance of connecting with others.

The last webinar event of the day was a discussion panel moderated by Kim Pearson, a professor of journalism and professional writing at the College. Pearson sat down with Chief Integration Officer and Managing Director of FS Investments Sanda Bolton (‘90), Team Leader for the Custom Indices at Bloomberg Aury Cifuentes (‘18) and Principal at SDG AdvoHealth, LLC, Surabhi Dangi-Garimella, PhD. 

This collaborative discussion panel focused on several topics and tricks for navigating the workplace, including overcoming imposter syndrome, staying motivated, alleviating stress and learning to cope with sudden career and life changes, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Pearson presented an age-old question to the panelists: What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self? Despite their varying backgrounds and experiences, all of the panelists had one thing in common in their responses: the importance of being true to yourself unconditionally. 

“It’s okay to be an outlier,” Dangi-Garimella said. “As long as you have faith in yourself and what you think will make you happy, you will get there.” 

Cifuentes agreed and said that you are your biggest obstacle. Burnout, stress and overwhelming feelings of imposter syndrome are not uncommon in the workplace. For struggling students, Bolton said it is important to step back and remind yourself, “Wow, look at all the things I’ve accomplished. I am worthy of this.”




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