By Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson | For The Birmingham Times
Nearly 30 professionals in fields representing authors, attorneys, educators and entrepreneurs spoke words of guidance and encouragement to students at the annual Female Summit at Huffman Middle School on Friday, February 23.
Principal Genita Matthews, event organizer, said this year’s theme was “Born to Win With a Purpose” and the summit’s key takeaways were to “elevate, empower and educate,” she said. “We would like for our young ladies to become successful women and see all the powerful women we have who can come in and share their experiences and careers and encourage them and motivate them,” said Matthews.
Students from the 6th through 8th grades participated and were able to choose three individual sessions.
Entrepreneur and investor Monique Johnson’s session was entitled ‘Get to the Bag,’ where she shared financial investment tips.
“It’s important for us to learn early and utilize these resources,” said Johnson. “Long-term investment is a tool that we can use to set ourselves up for success and attain the things we want in the long run. And once they learn that skill, no one can take it away from them.”
Johnson also works as a mentor to students at Huffman Middle weekdays through the Common Ground program, which teaches conflict resolution and other crucial life skills to male and female students in Birmingham City Schools.
Author Dr. Deven Tellis is a veteran teacher and owner of Blooming Books Publishing and currently teaches online and shared messages and affirmations from her book “Who’s to Say …?”, which inspires its readers to visualize themselves in various professions.
Tellis’ class session was titled, ‘Born to Win: Cultivating Self-Love and Self-Awareness through Reading, Writing and Children’s Literature.’
“We had a fun time talking about positive mindset, loving yourself and being aware of yourself and how you talk to yourself and how what you do, affects others and how that determines the trajectory of your success as a young adult and later as an adult,” she said.
Speakers hosted sessions through late morning and the summit concluded just after midday with keynote speaker Attorney Ellise Washington of EMW Law in Birmingham.
Parents and other supporters were also invited to take part in the summit, which featured vendors who sponsored giveaways for the staff and female students.
