Empowering entrepreneurs
Mar. 22—HENDERSON — Vance-Granville Community College's Civic Center was reserved for ladies for the third annual Women's Summit this past Thursday.
The Vance-Granville Initiative on Equity for Women has been hosting events since 2019. It was formed after a North Carolina Community College System study found women of color had lower academic performance at VGCC, due to a few factors — lack of childcare, namely.
Director of Admissions & Enrollment Services Sherri Alston and Director of Career Services Krystal Fox currently mind the store at VIEW, so to speak.
Prior to the summit, VIEW surveyed VGCC's female students on their needs. The prevailing theme was, how do they make do with what they have and how do they juggle their various responsibilities.
So, this year's summit focused on professional development.
Brittany Philbert, the associate director for residence life at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, was this year's keynote speaker. Her topic of choice was "way making" — allowing lived experience and knowledge inherited from lady relatives to guide a woman in pursuit of her goals, in a sentence.
Afterwards, 13 speakers divided among four panels spoke on topics ranging from mental health to entrepreneurship.
A few dozen women showed up for the occasion they listened to speakers, got headshots done with Blake Burgess Photography or shopped around at vendors outside, like Rose Perry's dolls and door wreaths, Raw Beauty's makeup and First Lady Fashions' apparel and jewelry.
On the topic of apparel, Dress for Success, a Triangle-based nonprofit with locations in Wilson, Raleigh and Durham, was outside in its mobile boutique offering free apparel fit for a job interview. The organization is oriented towards women escaping domestic violence.
Many women leaving abusive relationships find themselves in poverty, said Michelle Miles, the boutique's manager. She's a domestic abuse survivor herself, having left her situation some years ago with nothing to her name. Dress for Success helped her, and now she helps them.
Dress for Success is a regular at the annual summit.
