Conestoga celebrated International Women’s Day with a drop-in event featuring activities, food, music and prizes at the Kitchener - Downtown campus.
Student ambassador Vasundhra Sharma (left) and Mae Enriquez, Student Engagement and Experience programmer, create posters at the International Women's Day event held at the Kitchener - Downtown campus.
“I feel like this is the day which I always wait for because I have such amazing women in my life who I look up to, who I idolize, who inspire me,” said student ambassador Vasundhra Sharma.
Two student ambassadors and 15 student volunteers, supported by the Student Engagement team, organized the event that was held on the Friday before International Women’s Day, marked every year on March 8.
“This event is their project,” said Mae Enriquez, Student Engagement and Experience programmer.
Enriquez commended the students on their excellent work creating a welcoming and joyous atmosphere for the day recognizing the remarkable women, two-spirit and non-binary changemakers who champion gender equity.
“I want students and community members to feel really empowered to make change in their communities and to break down barriers and challenge and resist,” Enriquez said.
The event was also an opportunity for people to find community and other like-minded people wanting to work together to advance equity. Included in the event were community organizations such as the SHORE Centre, raising awareness about support available and also volunteer opportunities.
Enriquez said there is something everyone can do and she hoped the International Women’s Day event would inspire people to find their own way to contribute to the ongoing pursuit of gender equity.
“We want people to feel empowered to take action and that’s going to look different for everybody,” Enriquez said. “It really does take a community of people to push forward.”
Sharma, a Computer Systems Technician - Information Technology Infrastructure and Services student at the Waterloo campus, is thankful for the many amazing women in her life. Her favourite activity was a board where people could share notes about the women who inspire them, and she encouraged her friends to join the celebration and think about the women in their life.
Sharma hoped people had fun and enjoyed the festivities, but most importantly she wanted the atmosphere to feel welcoming to everyone. “They can feel like they belong here.”