Emporia State Associated Student Government will host its fourth annual Breaking Barriers: Women in Leadership conference on Saturday, March 29. Registration will open at 8:30 a.m., with events starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 3:30 p.m. It is a free event open to all ages and genders. 

Each year, the Breaking Barriers conference focuses on women’s leadership. ASG will bring in panelists and presenters from the Emporia community, including presidents of community organizations and business CEOs. Kim Wilson is the headline speaker brought in with help from the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She is a mental health professional and is going to speak on her experience in the field, as well as her experience with her own mental health and diagnoses. 

Other panels and workshops will cover law and politics, healthcare, education and civic engagement. The conference will also provide a safe space to share experiences, advice and ideas. Attendees can ask questions and network with community organizations and businesses.

Although the conference is open to anyone in the community, ASG Campus and Community Relations Chair Sarah McDonald says that the conference will focus on youth this year. They have invited middle and high school students from Emporia and the surrounding areas to attend. 

“We want to help grow ESU in the future,” explained McDonald. “So one (way) that we’re able is if you create those personal connections, and people get that bonding experience on campus … it creates that memory here.” McDonald notes that many speakers are ESU alumni themselves.

McDonald emphasizes that the Breaking Barriers conference aims to encourage young women to excel and overcome societal limitations.

“I hope (attendees) leave feeling empowered,” she said. “I mean, we had people come up to the booth who would say, like, ‘I left last year feeling just empowered and refreshed,’ like, we just want to bring that back. We really want people to leave feeling like they understand women in leadership and their opportunities and that it is possible for them.”

Pre-registration for Breaking Barriers is open now at the following link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=tIuhoWgAQEu6RqooKZ1uUaBrVTc2I09Mvwygo4nytp1UM0I3RlFVMVdCTEQ4MVNVQlo1RUw2VzEyTi4u&route=shorturl