Hope Represented at PA Women’s Conference

31 Oct Hope Represented at PA Women’s Conference

Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Women’s Conference was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and hosted a robust 10,000 women from across the state and nation. Thanks to the support provided by OmniCable, Hope Director of Graduate Support Brittany Holiday and Amina Whittaker – a Hope Partnership Alumna of 2018 – were able to attend the event. The conference was filled with workshops, exhibitors, entrepreneurs, and female leaders from across all sectors.

The keynote was delivered by award-winning Director Ava DeVurnay and was filled with inspirational messages regarding women and confidence; women of color in the media space; and sisterhood. Ava is best known her works including, When They See Us, A Wrinkle in Time, and Thirteenth. When asked if she was fearless – a characteristic many have claimed her to possess – DuVernay replied, “The word ‘fearless’ is a complicated word. I always think, ‘fear less.’” In other words, she doesn’t focus on never feeling fear, but on feeling less than she has before. She also stressed the importance of mentoring others along your own journey. “How many of you have had a mentee or anyone you have helped along the way?” she asked the audience. “What is a better feeling than someone saying you changed me, you taught me?” she queried. “That is food and fire and fuel to me. It keeps me going. If you haven’t had that, start with one person. Talk to her, and see if you can be fangirls for each other.” This message resonated with both Amina and Ms. Holiday, as they both consider each other supporters.

Eat, Pray, Love author, Elizabeth Gilbert provided the crowd with powerful messages around self-care and life transitions, and author of Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward, left everyone in awe with how eloquently she delivered messages around struggle, reaching your dreams, and persistence. She ended her remarks with, “Be patient with yourself. Work hard. Hold firm. Take a step that would lead you to the realization of your dreams. Hold fast to your oars.”

Some of the workshops offered included topics such as finding your own happiness, budgeting, entrepreneurship, and marketing and branding. Afterward, Ms. Holiday and Amina enjoyed an evening out at the Cheesecake Factory, where they enjoyed Amina’s favorite food and discussed the day’s proceedings. Hope is so thankful for the opportunity to enjoy such an impactful event, and we are excited for the chance to attend similar events in the future.