About 40 District 202 high school female students attended the district’s inaugural Empowered Women’s Conference on March 18.
Plainfield East High School seniors Valery Espinoza along with Brianna Emond and Aadya Karna organized and ran the event.
“We live in a time now more than ever where women can be anything,” Espinoza said.
“It is our duty to go for our dreams, leave our legacy in our community, and mentor one another.”
Freshmen through senior students from PEHS, Plainfield High School-Central Campus, Plainfield South, and Plainfield North high schools attended the summit.
Attendees participated in activities designed to build connections between this diverse group of students.
Female leaders in the community – Margarita Morelos, District 202 Board of Education member, Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Basta, Dr. Natalie Coleman from the Will County Board, and Dr. Paula Sereleas, district Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction – discussed their pathways to success, acknowledged adversity, and shared what they valued in leadership roles.
“Learning from strong, female community leaders allows and encourages young women to see themselves in those positions,” said Dr. Kate Morris, district Director of Curriculum and Instruction for High School.
“When they see it, they believe they can do it. And, once they believe in themselves, the sky's the limit.”
Espinoza brought the conference idea to PEHS Assistant Principal Dr. Mike Romeli who wholeheartedly supported it.
These students wanted to leave a legacy at District 202, Romeli said.
“This student-driven event was aimed to develop and create a day where students from each high school could grow in leadership and self-confidence,” he said.
Espinoza’s summit idea started as a seed as a seventh grader at John F. Kennedy Middle School when a similar conference inspired her in Will County.
“That’s when I decided I wanted to leave the legacy of connecting with people,” Espinoza said.
“Not by what I did, but by how I am able to mentor and learn and grow from connections formed where I went.”
Attendees told organizers after the event how much they learned from everyone who attended, Espinoza said.
The goal is to make this an annual event with organizers from the first and future summits, she said.
“This wasn’t just a conference, but a moment in their life that initiates their own passions and desire to connect with people,” Espinoza said.