Celebrating 21 Years of Inspiration at the Pennsylvania National Women’s Convention

Philadelphia was buzzing with excitement and energy on Thursday, November 7th. More than 8,000 attendees, including myself, gathered at the National Convention Center to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Pennsylvania National Women’s Convention. The convention’s mission is to empower and inspire women to tackle their dreams and goals by listening to sessions and keynote speeches by various speakers with different careers.

The agenda for the day was filled with workshops, small group discussions, Q&A programs, and a plenary session that highlighted keynote speakers. Many of the speakers reflected on their path to individual success and how women and girls can advance in their personal and professional lives.

Robin Arzon, an instructor and Vice President of Fitness Programming at Peloton, gave a notable speech about female empowerment. She stated, “I just want to acknowledge ways in which we can turn our inner critics into inner advocates.” Additionally, she left the audience with three questions women can think about regarding their own success: what is your why, why not me, and what choice would you make if you were twice as strong and twice as confident?

I attended one of the Q&A sessions titled “Bright Futures in STEM Workplaces.” Female scientists, engineers, and businesswomen discussed numerous topics, including how to break barriers to succeed in STEM fields. When asked how female leaders can help girls maintain their interest in STEM, Jennifer McCafferty, Senior Vice President and Head of CMC-Regulatory and Quality Assurance at Merck Research Laboratories, said “Go into schools, be part of the science fairs, have the conversation, and be present. Encourage girls that they can do it.” Kenya Boswell, Senior Vice President of Community Affairs at Highmark Health remarked, “I would like to see more women in executive positions so that they can see that there are endless possibilities within this field.”

After a day filled with female empowerment and kinship, attendees left feeling inspired. Leslie Stiles who is the CEO of the convention concluded with, “When I look around the room and see all of the powerful women in here, it takes my breath away.”