To prepare for the ULM’s 2019 Women’s Symposium, the first ever panelist meet and greet was held on Wednesday to allow all women of the panelist to get to know each other in advance.
Kelsey Bohl, the Women’s Symposium chair this year, said the meet and greet was hosted for women of the panel “to meet each other, get information on how to be a panelist and kind of get a format of the discussion.”
Panelists consist of professional women from the community and even ULM faculty and staff. All of the women involved are divided into groups of three to form groups.
Boul explained that the format of the symposium starts with the moderator asking each of the three panelists questions.
“They’ll have to learn to share the time with each other,” Bohl said.
One of the women on the panel, Kim Shephard, said the meet and greet was well worth it.
“It released tension and anxiety I had about being a panelist for the symposium. The best part was meeting my panel buddies and coordinating with them in advance on how we are going to handle our panel questions,” Shephard said.
Another excited panelist, Amy Weems, said, “It was so inspiring to be in a room full of such positive, encouraging women and to hear about the important topics we are covering in our sessions.”
These topics include women’s leadership, mentorship, diversity and inclusion, selfcare and entrepreneurship.
Gerontology program coordinator Anita Sharma said the meet and greet was welcoming and helped her feel prepared.
“Being in a room full of women who are high-achievers and role models for others made me feel quite empowered as a woman. I felt that nothing is impossible if we have the passion to find and reach our goals. I am really looking forward to the symposium next week,” Sharma said.
The fourth annual ULM Women’s Symposium will take place from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. on March 27 at the Bayou Pointe Event Center.
The meet and greet was also sponsored by Alberta Brown Green’s, ABG Professional Development Solutions. Green is sponsoring the event, is a panelist for the event and is a ULM’s Women’s Symposium board member.