On behalf of Shippensburg University’s Women and Gender Studies (WMST) program, and in partnership with the Psychology Department and admissions, Iyanna Burton, Emma Fasnacht, Em Matlock, Riley Mazzie, Madi Shively, Jean Stinchfield, alongside Dr. Misty Knight, the director the of the WMST program, attended the 22nd Annual Pennsylvania Conference for Women in Philadelphia.
The conference is one of the largest of its kind on the East Coast and serves to provide women with knowledge on how to succeed in their personal and professional lives. This year’s event featured several famous keynote speakers, including Hoda Kotb, Cynthia Erivo and Mel Robbins. Shively, Fashnacht and Mazzie shared the many valuable insights they gained from the conference.
Fasnacht emphasized how the event reminded her of the importance of self-motivation. Her biggest takeaway came from Robbins’ “Let Them” theory, which encourages people to release control and focus their energy on personal growth rather than on the actions of others.
She shared how the conference and Robbins’ speech provided her with a new perspective: “Being around like-minded women provided the perfect opportunity to practice lifting one another up, although it is the daily repetition of self-love and resilience that truly molds us into who we are. Even when we find ourselves trapped in our minds, it is important to pause, reflect and then move forward.”
For Mazzie, a criminal justice major with aspirations to attend law school, the conference highlighted the importance of persistence and taking action toward achieving one’s goals.
“The most important lesson I took away from the event is the value of having dreams and being persistent in pursuing them,” she said. “Success is about showing up and acting, even when things seem uncertain.”
Mazzie had the opportunity to connect with professionals in law, insurance and entrepreneurship, gaining insight from women across multiple industries. She noted that she appreciated Kotb’s “friendliness and genuineness” and her message that in life, “everything happens right on time.”
Shively, a communication, journalism and media major, shared that this year’s event
For Shively, attending for the second year, the event felt “extra special” because she was in the presence of women like Kotb, Erivo and Robbins who deeply inspire her.
Kotb’s anecdote about receiving 27 rejections before she got her “big break” stood as a reminder to Shively that setbacks are a part of the process and often precede success. Furthermore, Erivo’s advice on boundary-setting and not allowing the words and negativity of others to be taken personally also resonated with Shively.
Between keynote sessions, Shively took advantage of the professional development opportunities, such as receiving a review of her resume and getting a professional headshot.
The Annual Pennsylvania Conference for Women in Philadelphia provided Ship attendees with the motivation to pursue their goals, professional development opportunities, and advice from women at the top of their fields.
