Lindner Hall buzzed early the morning of Saturday, March 2, for the 11th annual Empowerment Day event.
Hosted by student organization Lindner Women in Business, Empowerment Day is an annual leadership conference that brings more than 20 speakers to campus to advise, mentor and interact with approximately 250 attendees made up of UC students and high school seniors who are considering attending UC.
Rachel Peters, co-founder and CEO of sustainable personal care brand Clean Age, kicked off the day of programming. Fitting into Lindner Women in Business' 2023-24 theme of authenticity, Peters' opening keynote, "Finding Your Superpower," explored the importance of making big asks in one's career, cultivating courage and filling the gap.
Left to right: Co-Chief Empowerment Day Officer Jenna Koopman, Empowerment Day Keynote speaker Rachel Peters, Lindner Dean Marianne Lewis and Co-Chief Empowerment Day Officer Liberty Best. Photo/Suzanne Buzek
"You're going to have to ask for things; you're going to get to ask for things," said Peters. "And to be able to cultivate that skill in being courageous and asking for what you need is super important."
Peters also cited worthy inspiration in the recent study out of Stanford University that uncovered that founders from UC were 3.3. times more likely to found a unicorn, companies valued at more than $1 billion that are not publicly traded, than founders who graduated from any other university in the U.S.
"If you need courage right now, look no further than that," she said.
After Peters' opening keynote, attendees had their choice of nine total breakout sessions, featuring speakers who were either Lindner alumni or close supporters of Lindner Women in Business, the Lindner Office of Inclusive Excellence or Lindner Career Services.
2024 Empowerment Day award winners, left to right: Social Star Holly Doxey, Karen Manning Award winner Jane Sojka, Rookie of the Year Brooke Strobel and Most Engagement Award winner Mallory Crawford. Photo/Suzanne Buzek
For Lindner Women in Business members, the opportunities for recognition are invaluable for growing confidence and inspire a "pay it forward" culture within the organization.
"Last year when I joined [Lindner Women in Business] as a freshman, I was just this nervous person, really quiet, didn't like talking in front of everybody," said Liberty Best, BBA '26, who served as co-chief Empowerment Day officer alongside Jenna Koopman, BBA '25.
"Last year, I got the Rookie of the Year award, so I was so honored to give that award to Brooke this year," said Best. "That's why I'm on exec [board] and everything now, because I really just want to make a difference."
Featured image at top: ADM representative Tina Welch addresses Empowerment Day attendees before the event's opening keynote. Photo/Lindner Women in Business Chief Marketing Officer Jacqueline Hunter, BBA '24.
