Thirteen speakers told UF students to be confident at a leadership summit Tuesday.
UF’s College of Engineering held “Powered to Lead,” an annual engineering summit that connects UF students with engineering leaders, in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom. For the first time, the event featured all female speakers who have leadership experience within the field of technology.
About 60 people attended the event held on International Women’s Day.
Pryana Lewis, a UF computer science sophomore, said the event helped her grow as a person. She said the event inspired her to hear stories about how other women achieved their goals to further their professional careers.
“I felt empowered to see how many female executives there are in the (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field,” the 19-year-old said.
Shellye Archambeau, the CEO of MetricStream, a software company, spoke about how confidence is the largest barrier women face when competing for greater leadership roles in the STEM workforce.
“The biggest challenge you will probably face is focusing on how well you can stand out from the rest of your competition,” she said. “And half of the battle of showing out is confidence.”
The former IBM executive told the audience to stand tall and, if need be, fake it until they make it.
Linda Hudson, the chairwoman of the Cardea Group, an asset management recruitment firm, told the audience communication is important.
“If you can’t speak up and communicate your ideas, you inhibit your own success,” she said.
Hudson spoke with other panelists who stressed the importance of engaging with and learning from male colleagues to survive in the male-dominated field.
Rebecca Smith, the founder and president of the Tampa-based construction company A.D. Morgan, said women should be vocal and confident.
She said leadership roles are offered to women less frequently than men.
Despite the difficulties they may face in competing for top management positions at technology companies, Smith urged the female members of the audience to avoid showing emotion in the workplace.
“Business is business,” she said. “If things get emotional, simply take yourself out of the circumstance and breathe.”
Josh Benjamin, a UF environmental engineering junior, said he attended the event to see the struggles women face.
“I think it’s very important to come out to events like these to become familiar with the obstacles women have to overcome,” the 21-year-old said. “It will be important later on for when we will have to work together.”
Attendees gather to listen to a panel of technology executives at the UF College of Engineering's “Powered to Lead” event at the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom on Tuesday.
