"Yes She Can" contributors inspire in panel

On Wednesday, March 13, five contributors to the new book “Yes She Can,” a book which aims to empower women within their careers, delivered an interactive presentation in Barnum Hall. The panelists all previously occupied positions within the Obama Administration and chronicled their experiences as women in the American government. Throughout the presentation, they shared their stories, inspiring students to persevere through inevitable setbacks and use their obstacles as learning experiences as they travel along the pathway to success.  Panelist Kalisha Dessources Figures, former White House Council on Women and Girls, focused on the sexism and racism in the education system. Figures stressed that in order for more women of color to achieve positions in government or in other desired fields, the education system must be studied and reformed for their benefit.  “We know that inequality [in the education system] exists but we need to understand how that happens. Why is there inequity there? What are the factors that [determine] inequality [in education]? When [our government] understands these issues, we can make policies to address them,” Figures said.  Throughout the presentation, the women spoke about the importance of self-advocating in the face of rejection or disappointment as well as self-care. In government positions as well as in other fields, employees, women in particular, are often not assigned to the more interesting, sometimes more complex, job tasks which define the positions they intend to occupy. The “Yes She Can” panel told the audience that in order to shape desired positions, women must assert their ideas and involve themselves in related projects as others will not do so for them. Also, in keeping with a millennial narrative, the panelists discussed how women and workers in general, neglect their physical and mental health in the quest for career success.  Noemie C. Levy, Domestic Council under President Obama’s Administration and a current medical student at Stanford University, spoke about the ways in which holding a significant government position which dealt with health affairs helped shape her view of the industry.  “Working in the White House and seeing those [social issues] made me want to learn more about the medical side behind them. If anyone in [the audience] is interested in medicine, I would encourage you to think more broadly about the diseases you are going to learn about and think about that factors that shape health,” Levy said.  Thereby, working in government positions can allow for new perspectives on future career paths. Such perspectives can ease decision-making when trying to determine what it is one wants to pursue, according to Levy.  Math teacher Luis Contreras expressed extensive pride in panelist and daughter Nita Contreras’ success, and enjoyed listening to her speak as part of this panel. He also discussed the impact he hopes his daughter’s story had on Samo students.  “I always expected [Nita] to work hard and do her best, but to see her dreams come true and continue to inspire others to make a difference makes me so proud. [In light of Nita’s accomplishments], I hope Samo students will have a sense of purpose to bring about the change they want to see in the world,” Contreras said.  The “Yes She Can” Assembly provided students with the opportunity to listen and pose questions to women who had positions in the White House. However, most significantly, the panel exposed students to firsthand accounts of the struggles and benefits of being women in higher-up positions in the workplace.