Meinders School of Business is preparing for the Women in Leadership Conference, and some students will get a chance to attend for free.
The one-day event addresses issues about women in the workforce and positions of leadership. It will focus on furthering students’ professional development through leadership training, opportunities to network and speeches from leaders.
“I think any opportunity that students have to grow and be enriched and to develop their own personal leadership strategies and ideals is positive,” said Levi Harrel, assistant director of student development. “And that’s exactly what this conference does.”
The cost of attendance is $199, but, to encourage attendance, university officials and Meinders are offering opportunities to attend the conference for free.
Student affairs officials are offering two scholarships that can be applied for through a general application. Meinders officials will offer 10 online contest opportunities for complimentary registration, utilizing social media as a medium. Students will be able to respond online for a chance at winning free registration, though it is not yet known how.
This strategy is meant to orient the conference toward the millennial generation, said Melissa Cory, director of communications and executive and professional education.
The contests will begin March 20, the first of which will potentially involve Facebook and Instagram.
This year’s theme for the conference is “Game-Changers,” featuring 10 speakers. One of the speakers is Pamela Meyer, a certified fraud examiner whose TED Talk exceeded one million views, making it one the 20 most popular TED Talks of all time.
The conference will consist mostly of hands-on, interactive sessions designed to prompt discussion among students.
“A really important element of the event itself is key, actionable, immediate takeaways that everybody can utilize and apply to their personal or professional life and career development,” Cory said. “It’s workshop-oriented, cutting-edge type content. Very interactive, personal and collaborative.”
Cory is also one of the conference’s original founders who started the event in 2010. In its first year, 100 students and professionals attended the conference, and, in its eighth year, the conference continues to instruct and develop OCU students throughout the years.
“While at the conference, I was reassured I could be very successful in a field other than the one I chose coming right out of college,” said Kaitlin Pontikes, Meinders alumna. “It’s important for students to take opportunities to speak with professionals that are further down their career path and might give some insight.”
The conference will be 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 13 at the Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens.
The registration deadline is 5 p.m. March 8, and the application deadline for the Student affairs scholarships is 5 p.m. March 10.
Student affairs officials emailed students the application on Feb. 15 and Feb. 22, and it also can be received by contacting Harrel or student affairs.
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