Select young women from our school had the opportunity to attend the She Leads conference in Madison, North Carolina to gain skills to take into their everyday lives.

“The purpose of the conference is to help women empowerment and to teach them that women are important in today’s society,” Counselor Lisette Pike said.

The conference gives girls the opportunity to meet new people and learn how to affect others.

“Definitely a strong sense of community and backing each other up and being there for each other,” senior Simone

Nabors said about what she took away from the conference.

For Senior Emily Phillips the experience generates a ripple effect.

”It’s definitely important to not only empower yourself as a female moving up in the workforce but to empower other females as well,” Emily Phillips said.

The conference helps young women to start planning their future.

“It is important because in today’s society, women don’t have the confidence that they should, and this conference gives them that confidence,” Pike said. “It’s all about women empowerment. The speakers that are there are good.

There was the first congresswoman ever in North Carolina, and it just makes them see that there could be more out there.”

These students also got the chance to explore future careers and gain new opportunities.

“We got a lot of opportunities to network with different backgrounds and professionals and to talk to people that in the future if I need a job or internship I will have the opportunity to do so,” Nabors said.

Moreover, the event creates good social and professional opportunities.

Phillips said, “I’ve gone to the conference for two years now, and it’s a really good experience to network and meet new people especially around my age. I’ve loved it.”