NEW ORLEANS – The annual EmpowHer event was held on Tuesday night at Spotlights in Lakefront Arena and featured a program that focused on relating personal experiences and providing guidance to women for their respective future paths.
Coordinated by Director of Volleyball,
Ashley Preston and Senior Women's Administrator, JP Lucius, the program culminated with speeches from Privateers beach volleyball student-athlete,
Renata Dykstra, entrepreneur and brand strategist, Alvianne Brule, and keynote speaker, Valerie Grubb who founded the Oxygen Channel and InterActive Corp, which is a parent company of TicketMaster and the Home Shopping Network.
The women of the Lakefront also had a chance to join the mentor-mentee program. Student-athletes were matched with mentors such as Alvianne, Julie Chalmers, Shaysa Lewis, and Yolande Bernard.
Dan Crumb, a New Orleans alum and current CFO for the Kansas City Chiefs, also spoke about networking.
Also, Akilah Laster, Director of Marketing and Communications at Loyola, spoke to the group about creating vision and purpose.
Below are excerpts from the speeches during the night of the event.
Renata Dykstra
"The opportunity to join EmpowHer came over winter break. I made it a personal goal to get more involved on campus this year in ways that would help me grow personally and professionally. EmpowHer encourages us to intentionally think about our futures. I realized there isn't just one way to reach your goals and it made me think that progress doesn't have to look perfect."
Alvianne Brule
"The main reason I became a mentor is because I didn't have one. It was a struggle being a female entering into a male dominated industry as a sports agent. My goal became for me to help someone else. Mentorship is important because sometimes you can learn from others' mistakes. Mentorship is also about having accountability and having someone you can lean on for guidance."
Valerie Grubb
"This night is about what remains and what's next. Three powerful ideas to hold on to: resilience is a muscle that you build. Purpose over circumstance-life is not going to always go as planned. In those moments, you don't need to have all the answers, but you do need something to hold onto. Lastly, you rise together. Everyone is a team of women who show up and sacrifice. You don't need a title to need, but you need intention."
