[SPEAKER_12]: Okay, ladies and gentlemen, let's settle down. Thank you. Good afternoon. I'd like to welcome you all to our Women's History Assembly regarding the month that we've been recognizing. We have some people in the audience I'd like to recognize individually. We have State Representative Paul Donato here. City Councilman, Mr. Rick Caraviello. School Committee Member, Mellie McLaughlin. The amazing women I have behind me on the stage that will be individually introduced. I'd like to give a special thank you to, hold on, I'd like to give a special thank you to Ms. Walker, our House M Assistant Principal. As well as Ms. Lisa Evangelista, our Medford Public School Relations Coordinator, for all the efforts they did to create this assembly, so thank you. So Women's History Month is a time to reflect the courage of women in past generations in how to celebrate their efforts and bravery afforded women opportunities and freedoms that we have today. It's a time to reflect often overlooked contributions of women in the United States history, a timeline that strikes back all the way before the United States was actually established. So I have a little story before we get started. Most of you know I taught chemistry, and one of the things that I always stuck, that I always remember is when I was in biology class, they taught us about the double helix in DNA, and hopefully a lot of you remember that as well. But it was given credit to two men, James Watson and Francis Crick. Francis, sorry, Francis Crick, yes. And what people don't know is that even though they got the credit for it, there was a woman named Rosalind Franklin that did all the background work, that did all the x-ray technology, and didn't get that much credit for it, the two gentlemen did. So it's kind of a theme of how powerful genders can be and what they contribute here to society. That being said, I'm gonna leave you with a quote, and then we're gonna move on. So a quote that I just recently saw that struck my mind is, a strong woman knows she has the strength for the journey, but it's a woman of strength knows that it's journey where she will become stronger. So I'd like to again welcome everyone, and I'm gonna turn this over to our superintendent, Dr. Maurice Edouard-Vincent.
[SPEAKER_01]: Good afternoon, everyone. Let's try that again. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. OK. We're here for this wonderful, auspicious event today. We have so many phenomenal women on the stage. I'm not going to steal the thunder, because I know we have many students that have practiced and are prepared to read their opening remarks. I do want to say a special thank you to Ms. Walker and to Ms. Evangelista for all of their coordination efforts in getting this special event off today. I want to say I'm very happy to be part of this panel and to be able to celebrate the positive contributions of women. I thank all of our special guests, but I also thank you, the audience. We've received wonderful questions, and we look forward to hearing from all of you, staff and students, and anyone else who's here. I want to just say thank you for supporting us. And just in true style, if I say Medford, you say Mustangs. Medford? Mustangs! Medford? Medford. All right, good job. Thank you. I would like to just invite our mayor up, Breanna Lungo-Koehn, who's part of the panel today, and she also has a few opening remarks.
[SPEAKER_17]: Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Edouard-Vincent. Good afternoon, everybody. It's an honor to be here with you today, celebrating women and sharing stories about our lives and careers. I thank the superintendent and the team at Medford High School for putting this wonderful event together. It's not a secret that there are barriers and challenges that attempt to prevent women from achieving our deserved place as equals in society. I wish I could tell you that by the time you students are ready to face the world outside these walls, you'll be met with recognition and support in all your endeavors. Unfortunately, that's not the case. You will be faced with adversity, with roadblocks, and with situations that are just frankly unfair. But as you'll hear from women here today, there is no reason for that to be accepted as an outcome. You have to be your own advocate, and above all, you must believe that your worth is not measured by anybody other than yourself. These are hard lessons, and it takes a lot of tough situations to learn them. But what you hear today from strong women who have repeatedly crashed through the glass ceilings, toughness is not attributed to just one gender.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. And so we are ready for our student introductions of invited guests.
[SPEAKER_14]: Thank you. Of course. Good afternoon, Medford High School and Medford Vocational Technical High School. My name is Nadine Al-Kurdi, and I'm a ninth grader at the Medford High School. Welcome to the Women's History Month Assembly, an assembly dedicated to the acknowledgment of the accomplished women in Medford who have come to attend the gathering today. Our MHS students and peers will represent the astounding woman, and there will be an interview afterward for the sponsors. Thank you, and I will now begin the presentation. All right. Thank you. I will now be presenting the biography of our Chief Justice, Kimberly Budd. Kimberly Budd was appointed to the SJC by Governor Charles Baker as both an Associate Justice sworn in on August 24th, 2016, and later as the Chief Justice sworn in on December 1st, 2020. She's the 25th Chief Justice appointed to the role since the adoption of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1780, which provided the court with its modern designation of Supreme Judicial Court. She earned her bachelor's degree in English from Georgetown University and earned her law degree from Harvard Law School. She began her legal career as a law clerk on the Massachusetts Appeals Court. She worked at Mintz-Levin before serving as an AUSA in the United States Attorney's Office in Boston. She then was a university attorney for Harvard University in the General Counsel's Office, and later served as director of the Community Values Program at Harvard Business School. Chief Justice Budd was appointed to the Superior Court by Governor Deval Patrick in 2009. In 2016, she served as the Regional Administrative Justice for Middlesex Criminal Business. Thank you very much.
[SPEAKER_03]: Chief Justice, will you stand please so we all know who you are? Thank you.
[SPEAKER_06]: Hi, everyone. I'm Mary Fitzgerald, a sophomore at Medford High School. I'm going to be reading the biography of Paige Baldini, the owner of Paige Aesthetics in Medford. A graduate of Holliston High School, Immuno College with a BA in Psychology, Health, and Counseling, minor in Philosophy, and a graduate of Elizabeth Grady Aesthetics School, Paige is the solo aesthetician and business owner of Paige Aesthetics. She has curated an experience by blending together traditional salon with a medical spa. Her market is busy, working moms, educators, healthcare professionals, and post-graduate students, and she prides herself on creating a place where they can come to relax, feel beautiful, confident, and empowered. While her services are high-impact, they do not take all day. Paige is a master esthetician, laser technician, certified in spray tins, and hydrafacials. She additionally teaches simple, multi-purpose skincare to make those results last. Paige has handpicked her favorite skincare, body care, home scents, and boutique items, and designs curated gift boxes available for purchase or ship. She loves supporting and building genuine connections with others in the industry. I believe there's room for all of us to be successful and cheer each other on. Paige happily resides with her family in the same Medford neighborhood as the shop. Supporting this community is incredible for her. Please, Paige Baldini, can you please stand? Thank you.
[SPEAKER_04]: Hi, guys. I'm Alex Crowley, and I'm a senior at Medford High. And I'm going to be talking about Tiffany Chan, who is a CBS 4 Boston News reporter. Tiffany Chan can be found on the CBS Boston weekdays news, either anchoring at the desk or reporting live from the scene of breaking news. From 2013 to 2017, Tiffany was one of very few women covering the state house politics in Boston. She has been on CBS Channel 4 ever since. Tiffany is famous for asking lawmakers like the governor the hard questions. This means she strives to provide a full story, even if that means chasing a person for the interview. Tiffany is a proud graduate of Suffolk University and a member of the Asian American Journal Association. She is a huge supporter of Team Impact. This nonprofit organization partners college sports teams with clinically ill children or children with disabilities. Most recently, Tufts women's field hockey team was paired with Little Mia, who is fighting leukemia. They have formed a bond of a lifetime. They do fun things together, like going bowling and having ice cream parties prior to midterms exams. It definitely puts life perspective for all. Tiffany Chan, can you stand up?
[SPEAKER_07]: Hi, I'm Marliana, and I'm a freshman here at Medford High School. I'll be reading the biography of Jamie Chia. Jamie Chia earned her B.Sc. in biochemistry from Medill University, where she specialized in protein crystallography. She attended the John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, for her Ph.D. in neuroscience in the laboratory of Dr. Solomon Sanders, studying ion signaling in the brain. She moved back to the Boston area to do her postdoctoral fellowship at the Novartis Institute of Biomedical Research and then joined the Broad Institute as a research scientist, where she led a team of researchers on a large-scale cancer cell profiling project correlating the genetics of cancer to drug responses. She then served as a director of the high-throughput scientist facility at the Koch Institute of MIT for eight years, where she oversaw a facility outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and helped scientists design and execute their experiments in a larger, faster, more frivolous way. Dr. Jamie Chia, can you please stand up?
[SPEAKER_11]: I'm Helen Lucas, a junior at Medford High School, and I'll be reading the biography of Congresswoman Catherine Clark. Since 2013, Catherine Clark has proudly represented Massachusetts' vibrant Fifth District, which stretches from the coastal communities of Revere and Winthrop through the northern Boston suburbs to the thriving towns of Metro West. In the fall of 2022, Clark was elected by her colleagues to serve as Democratic Whip, the second most senior position in the House Democratic Caucus. She previously served as Assistant Speaker of the House, as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. One of only two women to ever serve as whip, she currently has the distinction of being the highest ranking woman in congressional leadership. From the school board to Capitol Hill, Clark's public service has been fueled by a passion for lifting up women and families. She is a leading proponent for ending wage discrimination, safeguarding access to abortion, ending gun violence, improving access to affordable, accessible child care, and guaranteeing paid leave. Before her election to Congress, Clark served her community and elected office as a state senator, state representative, and member of the Melrose School Committee. She also served as General Counsel for the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services and as Policy Chief for the Massachusetts Attorney General. She lives in Revere with her husband and has three children. Congresswoman Catherine Clark, will you please stand up?
[SPEAKER_05]: Hello, I'm Haley Duarte, and I'm a senior at the vocational school. And today, I'll be reading the biography of Commander Billy J. Farrell of the USS Constitution. Commander Farrell is a native Paducah, Kentucky. She attended the US Naval Academy and was commissioned as a surface warfare officer in 2004 with a bachelor's in political science. She was later awarded her master's in operations management from the University of Arkansas in 2009. Afloat, she has served in various roles to include navigators, weapons officers, combat systems officer, and executive officer on ships across the Navy. On land, she has served in positions that include deputy director for professional development, at the United States Naval Academy and assistant operations officer to the commander at the Naval Surface Force Atlantic. Commander Farrell's awards includes three meritorious service medals, four Navy and Marine Corps commendation medals, and three meritorious unit commendation medals. And on January 21, 2022, she became the 77th commanding officer of the US Constitution. and the first woman to command a ship in 225 years. Commander Farrell, please stand up.
[SPEAKER_21]: Hi, I'm Christina Costa. I'm a senior at the vocational school, and I'll be introducing Lisa Flores, who is the director of sales and marketing for Columbus Hospitality Group. Lisa joined the Columbus Hospitality Group in 2001 after traveling from her native state of Texas and completing her bachelor's degree in business management from Boston University. After impressing General Manager Mark D'Alessandro and chef-slash-owner Jamie Mamano, Lisa was quickly promoted from being a hostess to the Reservations Manager. In 2004, she was elevated again to the Special Events Manager for Miestral's private dining room, Le Salon du Mistral. Recognizing the need for more formal network of event planners within the restaurant industry, Lisa founded the Society for Event Planners Restaurant Venues, SERVE, in 2016. SERVE aims to establish connections for people in the industry so they can learn from one another and enhance their businesses. Serve quickly caught the attention of dozens of top restauranteurs and planners in the area, increasing membership and gaining accolades from the Boston Globe and Boston Common magazine. In 2017, following Serve's success in Boston, Lisa expanded her outreach and began a second chapter in New York City. Lisa believes in giving back, and in her personal time, volunteers and helps to fundraise for Helping Hands, Monkey Helpers for the Disabled, a national nonprofit serving quadriplegics and people with mobility impairment, where she helped raise close to $1 million. In addition, she also volunteers for the Women's Lunch Place and other local Boston charities. She's been featured in Boston Commons Magazine Women of Style issue, and in the spring of 2019, Lisa joined the board of advisors for the Boston Ballet and took on the role of auction chair for the Boston Ballet Gala in 2021 and 2022. Currently, Lisa returned to her hospitality roots as an adjunct professor for Boston University School of Administration, teaching Introduction to Food and Beverage Management course, as well as assist in the Columbus Hospitality Group's expansion. Lisa, can you please stand up?
[SPEAKER_14]: Hello, I'm Lena O'Curdy, a freshman at Medford High, and I will be reading the biography of Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn. Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn is a lifelong Medford resident, currently serving her second term as Mayor of Medford. Prior to being elected Mayor, she served 18 years as a Medford City Council, having first been elected when she was only 20 years old. Mayor Lungo-Koehn graduated from Medford High School and received a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Endicott College in Beverly, where she graduated Alpha Phi Sigma. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor degree from the Massachusetts School of Law in 2006 and was admitted to the bar as an attorney in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that same year. The mayor opened her legal practice in Medford in 2009 after working for a Boston law firm. She specialized in family law, personal injury, and estate planning. After serving nine terms on the Medford City Council, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn was sworn into office as the 32nd mayor of Medford on January 5, 2020, and was re-elected to second term on November 2, 2021, and sworn into office on January 2, 2022. Brianna attributes her drive, determination, and passion for leadership to her parents. Her father, Edward, was a local businessman, and her mother, Susan, was a school secretary. The family business in Wellington Circle, selling flowers and Christmas trees, put them at the center of community. From her family, Brianna learned about how the city worked and how important it was to care, work hard, never give up, and always fight for what's right. Mayor Brianna Lungo-Cohen, please stand up.
[SPEAKER_15]: Hi, everyone. My name is Anna Casey, and I'm a senior at Medford High School. I'll be reading the bio of Dr. Asima Mohanty. Dr. Asima Mohanty is the Claire Booth Luce Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Tufts University. She received her bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her PhD and master degrees from Cornell University. During her post-doctoral research at Columbia University, she worked with Professor Michael Lipson studying the design, fabrication, and application of silicon-based nanophotonic devices for neuroscience and quantum information systems. Her research focuses on using nanophotonics and engineered light matter interactions to create miniaturized high-performance optical circuits to control, shape, and sense light. Her interest in chip-scale optical devices broadly spanned the fields of neuroscience, implantable and wearable biomedical sensors, 3D optical beam shaping, quantum information, and emerging computing and communication systems. Dr. Asima Mohanty, please stand.
[SPEAKER_09]: My name is Sarah Alferhat. I'm a senior at Medford High, and I'll be introducing you guys to Kelly Rose Serrano. She's the owner and founder of Declan's Mining Company, and not only does she run her own business, but for the past 10 years, she's been an online blogger and social influencer focusing on skincare, makeup, and great buys for the home. She's quite famous for reviewing over 250 mascaras and has a spreadsheet to prove it. She married her first high school sweetheart, and they have two sons, Declan and Everett. Declan's mining company was born in the height of the pandemic in 2020. One of her sons had a love for mining for crystals and fossils during family vacations. In the year of 2020, everything was shut down, so they decided to make their own mining experience at home. Once she shared it online, friends and families asked her to make it for them. Before she knew it, she had a tiny business selling mining buckets so that everyone could enjoy an activity at home or over Zoom with friends. Kelly made her first bucket in June of 2020 and didn't put it on TikTok until March of 2021. Her second video she posted went viral and she ended up selling a thousand buckets overnight. Her business has been booming ever since and Kelly believes in the power of women and she believes in small businesses.
[SPEAKER_10]: Hi I'm Talia, I'm a sophomore here at Medford High School and I'm going to be talking to you about Dr. Maurice Edward Vinson, the superintendent. In 2018 Dr. Maurice Edward Vinson was appointed by the Medford school committees as Medford's new superintendent of schools. She began her career as an elementary teacher for the Boston Public Schools rising through the ranks serving as an assistant principal a principal, and finally as a network superintendent for the Boston Public Schools. When she oversaw 16 K-8 schools in Roxbury in the South End neighborhoods, her main focus has always been to improve teaching and learning by providing vision casting, supporting principals, and providing feedback and supervision. Additionally, Dr. Edouard-Vincent managed networked liaisons that supported principals in areas such as curriculum, instruction, and operations. Dr. Edouard-Vincent is the sixth of seven children in her family. She was born and raised in the city of Method, where she attended the Harvey School and St. Raphael School before attending Arlington Catholic High School. Dr. Edouard-Vincent would further pursue her education, receiving her Master's of Science in Communications slash Media Instructional Technology, her Master's in Education in School Administration, her Certificate in Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership from the University of Massachusetts, and her Doctorate in Education in Educational Leadership. She is fluent in Haitian Creole and proficient in French. Dr. Edouard-Vincent now resides in Hyde Park with her husband and two children. Dr. Edouard-Vincent?
[SPEAKER_03]: We'll give them an individual credit at the end of the assembly. Next up, Q&A for our panelists.
[SPEAKER_11]: So for each question, we have about two to three minutes to answer. Our first question we have is, how did you navigate power structures early in your career versus later in your career when you had a more formal leadership role? And you can just raise your hand and anyone can answer.
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay, thank you. So you don't have to answer all of the questions. We're thinking about the time, but if you would like to answer any questions that are posed, just raise your hand and you have about two to three minutes to respond. Okay, thank you.
[SPEAKER_11]: I'll read it, okay. Yeah. How did you navigate power structures early in your career versus later in your career when you had a more formal leadership role?
[SPEAKER_23]: All right, so surface warfare officer means my job in the Navy is to fight and drive ships. So I actually was put into a leadership position right off the bat. As soon as I graduated and was commissioned as an officer in the Navy, I showed up to my first ship and was handed a division of sailors that were completely my responsibility. And so I started very early in my career with that and being in a chain of command. That's how the Navy is structured. It's a very linear system. And so the great thing is when you're in that, you give orders and people follow them. And it's pretty easy, which makes it nice. Today, I'm responsible for everything on USS Constitution, the same if I was the captain of any ship in the Navy right now. Everything that happens is completely on my shoulders, my responsibility, and my decision. So the responsibilities just expanded as I progressed up the ranks, but they have definitely always been there.
[SPEAKER_11]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I had a very different experience coming into Congress. I was the most junior person in the minority. So, I came in in a special election. So, there are 435 members of the House of Representatives, and we also are strict hierarchy. So we have official pins, and on the back of the pin, it tells you what number you are. So I thought I might be 434, 435. I was 474. So it was in negative numbers, my seniority. I didn't know if they retired numbers of great members of Congress or exactly what was going on. But I had less than no authority. But I wanted to make sure that I was getting things done for my district and Medford. And we are a very male-dominated Congress. And so what I found worked for me was trying to find those common ground interests. and working from there, and forming relationships with people who could help me help my communities, even if we disagreed on a lot of other things. And one of those issues that really came forward was working around the opioid crisis, because it was as devastating in a blue state of Massachusetts as it was in Kentucky and Ohio and some places that look very different politically and economically than back home. And found that building those relationships helped me develop the support system and the connections to be able to deliver. And also helped me keep the base that now when I have a leadership role, I really know the members in my caucus and can help put together and keep drawing on those common interests so that people see you as a leader because you really understand what they need and what the issues are facing their particular district at home.
[SPEAKER_11]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_19]: I just want to say, as a young lawyer, you feel like you don't know anything, and you probably don't. When I was at my first job, I spent a lot of time shadowing people, asking questions, trying to figure out how the system worked. trying to do any of the assignments that I was given, just do the very best I could with them. And then I was learning more and more. I was given more responsibility. And as I became higher up, I still find that I'm asking people questions to find out how other people feel about certain issues. And I find that it's very helpful to collaborate with people And in that way, I feel like we come to some of the better solutions. So that's one of the things that I would let you know.
[SPEAKER_15]: For our next question, how do you push for systematic change around ideas that are new or are not that popular?
[SPEAKER_22]: Tiffany Chan from Channel 4. I think it's really interesting. One of my first roles was in state politics, and I was one of the only women doing it. So it's a lot of asking tough questions, finding your own stories, finding problems and solutions. One, finding your confidence in going out and doing kind of what's seen as a man's role. I remember walking around the statehouse, no offense to Rep. Paul Donato, but I was thinking, these men in suits are old enough to be my dad. I was 21 at the time, figuring out how I fit into this whole scenario. And I think a lot of it is finding your own confidence, finding your own voice. and basically pushing through the nerves. The last year I was at this event, I know D.A. Ryan said a very, very important quote that actually stuck out to me, and is that we need to find our own talents, our own strengths, and own it ourselves. And especially as women, she was saying how sometimes we're our own worst critics. So to find our own strengths, find confidence in that, and really push forward. And some of these roles that people see as, you know, men's jobs. And I think that's how we find our voice, and that's how we kind of push through and make sure that the things that we think are important are reflected in, you know, our communities, on television, here in the courts, in politics. So, yeah.
[SPEAKER_17]: Thank you, Anna. As a female leader, I think you have to lead by example and you also have to break through the status quo and how things maybe were run in the past. So when I became mayor three years ago, I promised myself that I would always do what was right no matter what, no matter if it cost me votes or led to somebody being unhappy. So I'll just give you an example. Systematic change, changing the system, part of that is the hiring process and making sure we have a diverse staff, especially within City Hall and our school department. So I had to interview for a position in the city, and I was stuck with, I had two candidates left that got moved to my office for the final interview. One was a Medford resident who, I knew her children, and one was a resident, it was not a resident, and it was a woman that was more qualified and spoke a second language. I knew I would get a little pushback, potentially, for not picking the candidate that was a Medford resident that I knew personally, and I did. I chose the candidate that had more experience and that spoke a second language, because that's what Medford needs. We need to embrace diversity. We need to have a culture where City Hall represents the entire city. So, breaking through the status quo.
[SPEAKER_14]: Have you ever felt the imposter syndrome? And if so, how did you navigate your way through it? Would you like to take this one?
[SPEAKER_20]: Hi. I think I definitely have experienced quite a bit of imposter syndrome. And I'm sure this will resonate with some of the students here, but I came from a very poor biracial family with low education levels. So growing up in San Antonio, Texas was always challenging. I went to a great school, but I definitely was from a bad neighborhood. So that kind of impacted my life growing up. But then as I got into college at Boston University, I definitely had the fake it till you make it idea, and that not being, you know, fake who I am as a person or not remembering where I came from, but really just trying to learn and educate myself on how kind of things work, especially, you know, socially, professionally, and from there I wound up developing, you know, a personal board of directors that I've kind of kept and changed in and out my entire life of people that could help me understand, you know, what's going on or how to get to the next level in my professional development or what education maneuvers I should be taking to really better myself, what progress and growth and professional development would help. It's something that I would say find people around you that will support you, that you can lean on, that can really help you get to the next level in your life. That's going to be one of the most important pieces of helping you kind of navigate away from feeling like an imposter, especially in certain, you know, situations. And really just continue to educate and grow and, you know, always just think about helping others around you. I think that's also helped me quite a bit. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_13]: I tell you what, this never gets easy. It's very nerve wracking being up here. Anybody in the room have TikTok? All right. All right. So I'm considered somebody who's TikTok famous, and TikTok is a place that just lives with imposter syndrome. And I'm also 40 years old in the makeup community. So I have learned to live my life by three simple phrases. Do it scared, do it afraid, and do it anyways. Because there's so many people out there that are wanting to do exactly what it is that you're trying to do, but they're too scared to do it. So for me, it's a huge place to feel like you have imposter syndrome because the makeup influencer community is 20 years old. I mean, hi, Alex Earl. She's so sweet. I've actually met her and traveled with her. But as a 40-year-old mom of two, small business owner, it can be a really scary place to kind of get yourself out there. So I always sit down and take a deep breath and tell myself, I'm scared, I'm afraid, but I'm going to do it anyway. Because if I reach one person out there that motivates them to do the same thing that I'm doing, then my job here is done.
[SPEAKER_18]: Thank you. So I worked in the field of science, which you can imagine is up to now still a very male-dominated field. It's also full of Nobel Prize winners. I literally worked in buildings full of Nobel Prize winners, so imposter syndrome is a thing. I think there's two things I really remember. One is what Tiffany said, finding your own confidence and understanding that you may be surrounded by all these amazing people, but you have worth too, and they're coming to see you because you know something that they don't, and they need your help. And the other thing is to... figure out that, and this is hard at a young age, it doesn't matter what other people think about you. You, as Tiffany said, you find that you are your own worst critic, and you project onto others what they think negatively about you. So you need to push that behind you and realize that you are worth it, you are confident, and they need you. And that's how you push past imposter syndrome.
[SPEAKER_15]: Thank you so much. We're running out of time. So now we're going to move on to our audience Q&A. So you can raise your hand and me and Lena will come over. Our first question.
[SPEAKER_06]: If you had any words to your younger self, what would it be?
[SPEAKER_13]: If I had any words for my younger self, so I grew up pretty poor on welfare. I grew up in Revere, not too far from here, and I was just like a walking statistic. My mom has been married and divorced four times. You know, I have all of the odds working against me, and it was really hard to have any type of confidence in yourself to make something of yourself. Couldn't afford to go to college. I did graduate high school right in Stoneham, so not too far. And the only advice that I ever would have given myself is to just believe that you can do it. I always knew I had something inside me that was a little bit different. I always had creative ideas. I always, like, wanted to start some type of business selling lemonade when I was a little kid. And you really just have to have that deep core belief in yourself that you're strong enough to do it and that you will be successful as long as you put your head down, stay in your own lane, and flex that hustle muscle.
[SPEAKER_22]: The message I would give my younger self is to embrace the things that make me different. I grew up in Florida. I went to a private school where people did not look like me and they certainly didn't sound like me. English was not my first language. Chinese was. So having different cultural experiences growing up in high school. Those were the things that I really tried to kind of suppress in many ways. So when I got into news and I saw that people on TV really didn't look like me, it wasn't until probably about the last year or so that I really embraced my culture, my voice connecting with the Asian community, being the voice for them. So something that I really used to, I don't want to say be ashamed of, but just try to hide a little bit more because it made me different is really what's making me stand out in the news industry today. So really try to embrace the things that make you special would be my advice for my younger self.
[SPEAKER_01]: If I may, one piece of advice that I would give to myself if I could rewind the clock back would be to have taken even greater advantage of all the different opportunities that were before me starting in high school. I do wish that I had played more sports. I was in drama, I was reading, I was more kind of on the academic side. But I do wish that I had pushed myself in other areas just to be exposed to other people. Because the more that you're exposed to, the more well-rounded you are, and the better it is for you in the end to be able to interact with all different kinds of people. So that's what I would say. Take advantage of all of the opportunities that are here, because you don't get a redo of high school. So take advantage of it. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just would tell my younger self and all of you that failure is not always bad. And that you're going to do stuff, you're going to bomb out, you're going to fail, you're going to be embarrassed, you're going to wish you had not tried, but it is where you're going to find your joy and your passion. And failing at something often teaches you the most. So take the risk. Find your joy. Find your life mission. That's what I'd tell myself.
[SPEAKER_03]: Thank you. We're going to wrap up here. We only have two minutes. I'm so sorry. I didn't know that the bios would take that long, and we tried to cut them down, too. Thank you again, panelists, Dr. Edouard-Vincent. Do you want to say anything? OK. Pass the mic.
[SPEAKER_16]: You're welcome. Yeah, I just want to repeat what a lot of people have said. I am a professor in electrical and computer engineering, and my entire life was trying to figure out how do I join my passions of you know, art and electrical engineering and science, and I really didn't think these were things that could be joined together as one thing, and a lot of people told me that that wasn't possible, but I am today, you know, doing my own research and guiding my own research lab, doing exactly what I kind of wanted to do, joining those passions of art and light and how do we control those things on a computer chip. And so what everyone has said about kind of embracing those kind of passions and differences and outside thinking that you think is weird is exactly what's going to make you successful one day. Okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: Please stay seated. I know the bell is going to ring in a minute. We're just going to go over a few minutes. So please stay seated when the bell rings.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll be super quick. I'm Paige. I own a skincare salon in Medford. And I'm just so grateful for the opportunity to be here, but for all of you. Oh, sorry. So Hi there, I know you all have to run, but thank you so much for you guys for being here. Something for my younger self is, even now, I'm almost 40, I own my own skincare salon, like I said, being up here makes me nervous, but to keep trying new things, because I had a bunch of great opportunities, a bunch of job opportunities that I did before I owned my own business that I didn't love, but from doing that, I got to learn, like Congresswoman Clark, what many of these women have said, is just keep trying, and if you can find something that you find joy in, It's not work, it's fun. And thank you guys so much.
[SPEAKER_03]: Thank you. Thank you all again for coming in and joining us for Women's History Month celebration. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, please. A few minutes, a few minutes. I know it's Friday. Can I ask the female volunteers, the student volunteers to come forward? We have bags for you. Just want to give them another round of applause, please, before we leave. I also want to thank Lisa Evangelista for being a great... Ms. Evangelista, please come forward to the podium. Lisa, Ms. Evangelista, I'd just like to thank you for helping organize this esteemed panel of women and just your hard work and being my partner the last two years for this.