Dear Editor:
Thursday November 19, 2015 was an amazing day! The Hoboken Board of Education in conjunction with the AAUW held the first Women in Leadership Empowerment Forum at Hoboken High School. All girls in 7th through 12th grade in the Hoboken Public Schools and all 8th grade girls from the charter and private schools in Hoboken were invited to attend. Also present were 75 women from our community.
The reviews from the young women are amazing and the feedback that I have received tells me that every woman from age 12 to 85 was inspired and empowered. As our motivational keynote speaker, Lisa Durden, would say, clap to that! I believe we will all be watching Ms. Durden’s star rise, just as she motivated our girls to reach for their own stars and dreams.
Following the keynote a panel discussion was held. The panel was a wonderful mix of brilliant, successful women from multiple fields, backgrounds and ethnicities. I would like to thank Erin Bellissimo, Aine Brazil, Superintendent Christine Johnson, Sylvia Montero, Jessica Valiente and Mayor Dawn Zimmer for their participation. It was evident from their compassionate, personal responses that they are committed to ensuring that every woman has the opportunity to realize her full potential. The emergent theme of the importance of women supporting women, created a sense of unity amongst the attendees that will continue to resonate.
Thank you to all who contributed to the Women in Leadership Scholarship. We will be awarding this scholarship to a deserving female graduate who has developed leadership qualities in her high school career.
This event could not have happened with the generous grant from the AAUW NJ Charitable Trust, the amazing support of the AAUW members, especially Mary Graves. I also want to thank the district staff who worked very hard to ensure everything was perfect for the young women in attendance.
Kindest regards,
Ruth Tyroler
Event Organizer
President, Hoboken Board of Education