On Friday, January 21st, 2020, Ms. Regan accompanied five Marymount students on our All Student Body who attended the annual Velocity Conference at the Skirball Center. The conference is coordinated by UCLA’s Anderson School of Business and focuses on women empowerment in various sectors of the work environment. I was lucky enough to experience this incredible event alongside seniors, Kelly Sodl and Lucy Davidov, and fellow juniors, Carrie Ma and Stephanie Ang. Marymount was one of the few high schools who were able to attend: the majority of attendees were adults. We arrived at the Skirball Center at 8:30am to check in and they had an open breakfast buffet and plenty of beverage options. The first session we attended discussed conflict management and how to be successful when facing difficulties in everyday environments. UCLA Professor Corinne Bendersky shared the importance of focusing solely on the task, not the person opposing you, use non-threatening communication tactics, and work collaboratively among peers to propose solutions to pressing issues. I had two important take-aways from this talk. First, refrain from threatening the person you are attempting to collaborate with: people respond to threats defensively and are less likely willing to communicate and compromise. Second, active listening can lead to efficient compromises through healthy communication. The acronym, L.O.V.E., represents Listening to Understand, Open-ended questions, Validating the substance by reiterating what you hear, and Educating about your perspective in a non-threatening manner. 

Following this break-out session, Katie McGrath, CEO of Bad Robot, gave a talk in front of all individuals who came to the conference. She revealed the importance of loving what you do, and that it’s perfectly fine to not know exactly what you want from the future. McGrath discussed her goal as a leader to ensure that every employee feels a sense of belonging and the confidence to speak up and contribute, very similar to Marymount’s mission for its students. In regards to gender equality and her contribution to the Time’s Up movement, McGrath advocates for a deep sisterhood characterized by justice, especially where one can challenge power. Women should refrain from being pitted against one another, but rather share ideas and collaborate. She opened up about design flaws in the workplace and how she and her husband, J.J. Abrams, are focused on hiring the best candidate for the position and diversifying leadership. 

After Katie McGrath’s insightful talk, I attended a break-out session pertaining to entrepreneurship. It was inspiring to hear a panel of women tell you to take risks even when people expect you to fail. As an entrepreneur, one might have to combine jobs or take on various tasks to make ends meet, but it is important to never let the dream die. In this field, there is plenty of ghosting, rejection, and individuals who do not care, but it is important to create a strong network of supportive partners who appreciate the vision and the passion behind a project. Something that surprised me was the importance of fundraising. Yes, I understood that it played a crucial role in the creation of businesses, but these women really emphasized the highs and lows of fundraising: it is extremely important to be particular when deciding who will accompany you on the financial journey because one bad apple can make the process unbelievable difficult. Their closing point was to invest in women, and I believe Marymount would support this idea! Following the panel, there was a delicious lunch and speaker Kara Helander who revealed her experience as a working woman in our world.

Before the closing mindful meditation, Christine Simmons, a UCLA alumni, gave an absolutely riveting talk to the audience. She discussed the importance of representation and investing in diverse communities because every human being deserves a voice. Many of her positions have included rebuilding organizations and successfully increasing market share. She  believes in recruiting people who share the same values, accepting your mentors who push you outside of your comfort zone, and appreciating special friends and colleagues. She discussed the impact of having a hard-working and inspirational single-mother raise her and her siblings, and how this experience has gifted her with a strong work ethic. Simmons was very humble about her successes and she exuded such positive and loving energy, but she reminded us that she was also human and makes mistakes that she learns from. One of the many things she said that resonated with me was, “operate out of hope, not fear.” I’m beyond grateful for the many things I learned at the Velocity Conference and the opportunity to hear so many strong women share their stories.