UTICA — Women who are community leaders throughout the Mohawk Valley met one-on-one with female students from SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) during a speed-networking event called “Women Who Mean Business.”

Hage & Hage Law and Consulting LLC in Utica hosted the April 4 event, SUNY Poly said in a news release.

Nearly 20 women from public and private-sector industries offered mentorship, insight, and networking opportunities to the students at the second annual event. Its purpose focused on “teaching the value of female collaboration and inspiring a new generation of female leaders after their graduation from SUNY Poly,” the school said. 

“We are extremely fortunate to have an abundance of dynamic female entrepreneurs, business, academic, and community leaders here in the Mohawk Valley who are eager to help cultivate personal and professional growth in our female SUNY Poly students,” Grace Wang, interim president of SUNY Poly, said. “Whether it’s a female student preparing for a career in a STEM-related field, a business major, or a student pursuing any other area of study, the information she takes away from today’s event will be useful for a lifetime of success.” STEM is short for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Heather Hage, a member of the SUNY Poly Foundation board of directors, had the idea for the event after “realizing the need for an environment to specifically reach female students and ensure they have the opportunity to create a network of like-minded professionals.”

Hage & Hage Law and Consulting LLC, Syracuse–based Nascentia Health, the Bank of Utica, and the SUNY Poly Foundation sponsored the speed-networking event, the school said.

“As a woman in leadership, I know that my own vision and view of my potential was heavily influenced by the women by whom I have been fortunate to be inspired — family members, classmates, colleagues and friends,” Hage said in the release. “We created this event to provide an environment in which female leaders of all ages and stages of professional development have the opportunity to make new connections and inspire each other to believe, and achieve, our greatest potential.”

Keynote speakers at “Women Who Mean Business” included Wang; Andrea LaGatta, assistant VP of development at SUNY Poly; and Juliana Santucci, a senior business-administration major who attended the event in 2018. 

“Connecting with the ladies at last year’s ‘Women Who Mean Business’ event left me with essential advice as a college student preparing for what I would do after graduation,” Santucci said in the school’s release. “This event was a jumpstart to … begin building my resume. For me, this meant seeking an internship, and the ladies encouraged me and guided me to do so. I landed an internship last May and have been with the same company since.”

SYRACUSE — YWCA of Syracuse and Onondaga County Inc. will hold the 21st annual Day of Commitment to eliminate racism and promote diversity on April 25 at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown. 

The event represents one of the YWCA’s two annual fundraisers, helping to support key YWCA programs and services. The programs include “Soccer for Success,” a health and mentoring program; Girls Inc. at the YWCA summer camps; STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workshops and equipment; and computer and job skills training. 

The programs also include the women’s residence program, which helps victims of domestic violence and homelessness in Syracuse “get back on their feet and once again actively contribute to society.”

Emad Rahim — author, educator, and entrepreneur — will deliver the keynote address at the Day of Commitment.

Rahim is a Khmer American and survivor of the Cambodian killing fields whose life was turned into the short documentary, “Against the Odds” and adapted into a theater production titled “Tales from the Salt City,” per Rahim’s personal website.

About the Day of Commitment

The YWCA event, which is titled “No Hate. No Fear. Creating an Inclusive Community,” will include a community advocacy and diversity-workshop training. The sessions seek to equip training participants with strategies focused on making Central New York and community spaces “more inclusive and equitable.”

“The Day of Commitment is important not only for spreading awareness of key issues in Central New York, but for acknowledging the advancement that our community is making toward eradicating these issues. We look forward to this event every year because it gathers community members together in solidarity to inspire further progress to eliminate racism and promote diversity,” Fanny Villarreal, executive director of the YWCA of Syracuse and Onondaga County, said in the release. “We are so excited to have Dr. Emad Rahim as our keynote speaker. His life’s work and experience embody the mission and vision of YWCA of Syracuse and Onondaga County. He is not only an inspirational and intelligent professional but an example of resilience. We can’t wait to hear his remarks”.

The program also includes an induction ceremony for the YWCA Academy of Diversity Achievers, in which the organization will present the 2019 Champion of Opportunity Award.

The recipients of that award already know that the YWCA has chosen them for the honor, David Pittman, programs & development manager at the YWCA, said in an email response to a CNYBJ inquiry. The YWCA planned to announce the award recipients on its Facebook page in the days leading to up to the event, Pittman added. 

The 2019 Champion of Opportunity Award recipient is described as residents, community leaders, and professionals who have “engaged in significant efforts to promote diversity and eliminate racism locally or at a national level,” per the release. 

Those efforts also “capture the YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism & empowering women and strengthen the fabric of our community by helping to advance opportunities for all,” the organization said.