Register now for Young Women LEAD
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 18, 2023) — Registration is open for high school students to attend the Young Women LEAD conference at the University of Kentucky. The free event focuses on leadership, education and development and is hosted by the UK College of Education’s Department of STEM Education at the Otis A. Singletary Center for the Arts. Sponsors include Toyota, SOAR and Lexmark.
“This conference features speakers who will inspire participants to feel empowered to pursue their goals and be leaders in their schools,” said Jonathan Thomas, Ph.D., chair of the STEM Education Department in the UK College of Education. “Young Women LEAD has a particular focus on empowering high school girls to consider futures in STEM careers and we are excited to be part of that mission.”
The conference features interactive breakout sessions, speakers and lunch. Keynote speaker Ava Johnson, Say It with Music, will lead an interactive STEAM experience, empowering attendees through music, STEM and more. She will share about music songwriting and production, the power of words and how actions are influenced by music.
Also featured will be former Miss Kentucky and UK alumna Hannah Edelen along with a powerhouse panel of successful women from Kentucky sharing their insights and experiences in a variety of careers and passions — along with expertise on issues that high school girls face. The sessions will teach important skills needed to be successful in the workforce, STEM and through leadership.
The conference is free to all participants, and more than 700 students are expected to attend. This year marks the 14th year for Young Women LEAD in Central Kentucky.
Register by visiting https://youngwomenlead.com/events-calendar/uk2023/. Registration is first-come, first-served and is limited to the first 700 registrants.
“If we can help even just one girl be a confident leader today, provide her hope to be something that she never thought possible and vision herself in a future career she didn’t think possible, then we have accomplished our goal for the conference,” said Kimberly Code, executive director of Young Women LEAD.
For more information, contact Faith McNabb in the Department of STEM Education at famc225@uky.edu or 859-257-4235.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.