‘Defining Her Future’ conference

Cal Poly’s Women in Business Club, known as “WIB,” held their eighth annual Defining her Future Conference on Friday, March 3.

The conference was filled with addresses from invited speakers, panels with alumni and professionals, networking, free headshots, and therapy dogs.

Junior business major Kathleen Lotton was a member of the marketing strategy team for Defining her Future this year.

She helped prepare the swag bags available at the door, as well as digital marketing across WIB’s social media.

“I think that’s the biggest thing that, that we’re all coming here today to do is just show support and emulate power, which is this year’s theme,” said Lotton.

Those who helped with this year’s conference were at the Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Cal Poly’s campus setting up at 5 a.m. that morning, for people to start arriving at 8 a.m.

Many of those in attendance found the speakers to be very inspirational, like speaker Marti MacGibbon, who according to the WIB website, survived addiction, homelessness, human trafficking, and domestic violence is now Coastal Kids Home Care co-founder, as well as speaker and administrator Margy Mayfield.

Freshman business major Glorianna Ring found them both to be very empowering.

“It inspires us to stick up for ourselves and not be put down by men and just get through our problems and here and then going through these, like, way more stuff makes our problems not seem as big,” said Mayfield.

Another freshman business major, Kendra Goudie, found the networking portion helpful.

“It’s been really neat, it’s been a great scene. Everybody recognizing familiar faces, seeing new ones,” said Goudie.

Booths were set up in front of the PAC for students to connect with each other as well as the alumni and companies in attendance. These companies included Chevron, Ernst and Young, and PricewaterHouseCoopers International Limited.

Defining her Future concluded at 4 p.m., and attendees also included high school students.