The Women’s Conference lead by Women’s Leadership was last Friday, and it was the most impactful conference I’ve been to. Set inside the United Methodist Church, the conference was filled with high schoolers and middle schoolers alike, all wanting one thing: inspiration. We all know that we’re powerful women and that we’ll rule the world, but we need some motivation. The presenters were hungry and passionate about what they do, and they were to willing to help anyone else.

The first keynote was Simple Switch, which is an online company that sells products that impact people in need. It’s kind of like Amazon but it benefits others, like toilet paper that makes toilets in 2nd world countries and jewelry made by girls who’ve suvivedsexual abuse. Rachel Kois, the presenter and creator of Simple Switch, also handed out newspapers and asked people to circle pictures or ads that could be seen as problems on them. Then she asked us what we could do to fix them. The way to succeed, she said, is to find a problem and find a solution.

The first session  was You’ll Get a Kick Out of This with Kristine Ferraro and Pam Neidig, who taught us self defense. Both trained in taekwondo, they spoke of “when” someone attacks you, not “if”. The world alone is a scary place for women, so they taught us punches and grabs, where to hit, and what to hit with. It was fun, and I got to practice defending myself against Kristina Petrov (10) and Olivia Stone (12).

Next, Camryn Woodworth told her story in Surviving and Thriving. Being a rape victim who lost her case to her attacker, she had a lot of things to say. She lost control of the situation for a while, but prospered by posting about it on social media. She taught us that you can prepare all you can, but sometimes there’s things you can’t control. You are more capable of things tomorrow than you are today.

The Confidence Gap was the third session, and taught me that confidence is a decision, and it cannot be learned. Jennifer Hoffman shared her experiences growing up, and how she was pushed to be humble, be smart, and be hungry.

Patricia Zornio, a biomedical researcher, answered questions at the STEM workshop, the final  session of the day. Being a woman in the STEM field, things weren’t easy for her. She learned to support other women and be allies, and fight because you are smart enough. Patricia answered many questions about working and succeeding in the field, and she inspired me with how much she has achieved.

The last keynote was 9 News anchor Kristen Aguirre. Being a Latina woman in the news field, she had to grow and climb to get to the position that she’s in today. “Be confident, be strong,” she kept repeating. The girls rejoiced.

Women’s Leadership is truly a strong, impressive group of people that will push the planet. The conference was mainly set up and hosted by the girls of the group since the beginning of the school year. The way everything was organized was really professional. Broomfield’s women are working hard and making an impact. How will you change the world?