The Annual Community Bridges College and Career Summit “G.L.O.W” – Girls Leading Our World took place on Saturday, April 5, at Montgomery College Takoma Park in the Catherine F. Scott Commons. This year was our biggest success yet with over 110 girls registered for the event!

The full-day event was a chance for girls to explore careers by meeting professionals from various industries, hear from women leaders sharing their career journeys and gain hands-on skills and career insights. Each girls also got an opportunity to get a professional headshot and receive a blazer. Thank you so much to YMCA – Silver Spring, PureBarre – Silver Spring and Schulman Rogers for collecting blazers!

Pictured to the right are the Panelists that started the day off with their inspiring testimonies and their individualized pathways to success. The panel consisted of Kate Stewart, Montgomery County Council President as the Moderator, Margarita Womack, PhD, MBA Founder and CEO at MasPanadas, Farah Towfic, PharmD, MBA, RPh Senior Director of the USP Healthcare Quality and Safety Center of Excellence, Tonia Bui, Founder and Managing Partner PWP Strategies, Shoareged Phillpottis,  Co-Founder, It Takes a Village, Sarah Craven, Chief, North American Representation Office, UNFPA and Adore Corina Bagasao, Clinical Research Coordinator, George Washington University.

We had a total of 12 workshops for girls to choose, our first block included the following:

  • The Beauty of the STEM World – Dr. Qingyang Xiao, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
  • Polished and Professional: Keys to Workplace Success – Christina Taylor, TaylorMade Experience
  • You Can Have a Seat at the Table –  Ijeoma Enendu, Montgomery County Police
  • Rooted in Excellence: Growing Your Network Through Community Care –  Aishia Manley, Co-Founder of It Takes A Village
  • Hey Now, What’s That Sound? Discovering Acoustics All Around – T.J. Flunn and Bernice Kubicek, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
  • Against the Odds – My Path to Tech & Leadership – Shannon Gueringer, Skyward IT Solutions
Polished and Professional: Keys to Workplace Success – Christina Taylor
Hey Now, What’s That Sound? Discovering Acoustics All Around – T.J. Flunn and Bernice Kubicek

Our second block of workshops included the following:

  • Future Vets: Hands-On Animal Care & Careers – Dr. Anna Matheny
  • EmpowerHER: Building Strong Relationships and Communication Skills – Shelley Karriem, Donohoe Hospitality Services
  • A Future in Tech: Studying Computer Science & Career Opportunities – Beamlak Bekele, Computer Science Major at UMBC
  • Empowering Your Future with AI, Crafting Your Personalized Life, Career and Education Roadmap – Zeena Anderson, AstraZenica
  • How to Use What You Already Know and Like to Get the Job and School You Want – Dr. Kirsten Morgan
  • Circuit Studio: Dream. Design. Build  – Monique Kirkman-Bey, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab

Thank you to our Resource Fair guests for attending:

  • Interfaith Works
  • Maryland Corps Service Year Option
  • Miss Montgomery County
  • MoCo CAP
  • Montgomery College
  • Montgomery County Commission for Women
  • Montgomery County Department of Police
  • Montgomery County Recreation
  • MOST Network
  • One Montgomery Green
  • Trinity Washington University
  • Worksource Montgomery
  • YMCA

Special thank you to both Rainbow Community Development Center and All Set Restaurant & Bar for providing meals to our participants!