By Ingrid Moreno
Success stories of independent and strong women will mark their presence on Barry’s campus at the upcoming Women’s Summit on March 22. These accomplished women will share their goals and the steps they took to reach them while defining what women’s leadership means to them.
In 2020, Barry had to cancel its Women’s Leadership Summit event due to COVID-19. The university uploaded a short video on their YouTube channel, displaying many powerful voices while demonstrating how a great leader acts through their individual experiences. It led female students, faculty, and staff members to reflect on what leadership looks like on campus and had them merge their answers into a short video.
Referring to how crucial it is for leaders to inspire others with their actions, Faith Acfalle, an AmeriCorps VISTA at the Office of Mission Engagement, remarked that a successful woman leader must be “influential to those around her, breaking the boundaries and expectations those have put on her.”
Senior Blaine Montgomery, studying broadcast journalism, highlighted, “I think women leadership ties into everything because women have a nurturing skill that we’re able to multitask and do plenty of things that men and a lot of people think we can’t do,” regarding the professional field and personal lives of women around the world.
Chief information officer at Barry and vice president of Strategic Initiatives Yvette Brown-Koottungal spoke about the work environment.
“When you work in an environment where your voice is valued, and you hold yourself accountable and you are also open to take on new tasks and new initiatives, there is really no limit to what you can do,” she said.
The students in the video also mentioned the opportunities they found at Barry to develop their leadership skills, follow their passion, and speak their mind.
Chery Pratas, leadership and inclusion coordinator from the Mission Engagement department shared they are working on bringing more diverse vendors owned by women to the campus, including students. The department’s goal is to make sure this summit helps everyone to extract new tools and network, regardless of whether you are an extrovert or an introvert. She also feels lucky to have Mark Stevenson, the director of Student Life and Recreation, on the committee since, in the past, all members have been women.
The Women's Summit promises to celebrate successful women’s accomplishments and encourage others to do the same. It welcomes all women who are decisive, independent, and have the strength to achieve their goals.
The event is recruiting women-owned vendors to share their success stories. If you are interested, contact Chery Pratas via email at cpratas@barry.edu with your business name, contact information, Instagram handle, and type of business.
The upcoming Women's Summit will take place March 22 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Andy Gato Gallery, located on the second floor of Thompson Hall.
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