Afternoon Breakouts

On Friday the Powerful Women Paving the Way conference will feature afternoon breakout sessions. Please note that participants are still in the process of being finalized for the event. Please read more details below:

Be Your Best Advocate:  Speaking Up and Standing Out

(Room 106, 1:45 – 3:00, student session)

 Women are strong advocates for their partners, their children, their sisters, their friends, and their coworkers. This panel addresses an important question: What can we do to help women look out for themselves as assertively and passionately as they support others? Connect with panelists who have succeeded professionally and personally by being their own best advocates. Learn strategies for self-advocacy and share stories with the successes and challenges related to speaking up and standing out.

Work/Life Balance: How to Live Without Guilt

(Room 208, 1:45 – 3:00, general session)

Regardless of age, career, or personal life, one challenge that we all share is balancing all of our obligations, meeting all of our goals, and managing to find some time for ourselves. Many women experience guilt over competing priorities at work and home.  Learning to balance the scale without second-guessing decisions is a skill that can lead to a more fulfilling life. This session focuses on approaches to living without guilt, as well as lessons learned the hard way. Panelists will share their honest experiences with balancing it all and will facilitate a discussion of the complex lives experienced by today’s women in business. 

Creative Career Paths: Nontraditional Approaches to Discovering Your Passion

(Room 106, 3:15 – 4:30, student session)

Have you ever felt that you are not exploring the range of career options available to you? Are you curious about exactly what to do after graduation? Do you wonder how to combine your professional expertise with your personal interests? There is no one particular path that leads to the perfect career, so follow your passion!  Learn from those who have incorporated international travel, nonprofit careers, and other unexpected experiences into their careers and receive suggestions for how to be creative in developing your own career path.

Strategies for Success: How Powerful Women Paved the Way

(Executive 1 & 2, 3:15 – 4:30, professionals session)

This session will inspire participants to follow the paths of powerful women, to pave their own ways, and to incorporate both into their own careers. Hear panelists talk about the challenges they faced,decisions they made, and lessons they learned along their ever-changing career paths.

Women in Business: Academic Perspectives

(Room 208, 3:15 – 4:30, general session)

 One of the major benefits of holding a conference on a university campus is the abundance of local experts! Join Penn State professors of Psychology, Labor Studies and Employment Relations, and Education for an informed discussion of major issues facing women today.  A panel of faculty members will present findings from their research on issues related to the complex roles that women fill, and will connect their work to practical implications for women’s work and lives.