The 2018 College of the Canyons Women’s Conference drew a record turnout as women participated in activities designed to help them make the most of their lives.

“We try to center our sessions around the interests of women in our community,” said Diane Fiero, the president of human resources at College of the Canyons.

Women of all ages attended the event and connected with each other, bonding over several hours of seminars and activities.

One of the panels consisted of engineers and researchers from the international organization Boston Scientific, who presented lectures on how women could be successful in the scientific field.

“It’s an opportunity for them to learn about themselves, and how they can pursue their dreams and go where they’d like to be in the future,” said College of the Canyons Chancellor Dianne G. Van Hook. “The college is here to help students succeed, and so really to help anyone in the community who would like to move forward.”

Other speakers presented panels on more personal topics, including how to be an inspirational mother, relationships and how to care for the elderly.

In addition to the multiple panels featured at the event, Fiero emphasized a focus on the #MeToo movement throughout the event.

“The #MeToo movement has been very big over the last six months or so,” said Fiero. “So we have a session on finding your voice and knowing your resources in our community.”

Several student advocates and young leaders also led panels at the event.

“They’re incredibly involved with advocacy at both the local and the state level,” said Fiero. “It’s wonderful to hear these young advocates coming up through the college that will be the leaders of tomorrow.”

Many of the lecturers explained how women could use local resources to make an impact in the community, addressing concerns such sexual assault and harassment.

“I think the women’s march and a lot of the discussion around the MeToo movement has really encouraged women to come forward to be recognized and what tell what has occurred in their lives,” said Fiero. “It’s so easy to get caught up in what we’re doing in our private lives, but there’s a lot of social issues out there that people care about, and we really want them to get involved.”

Boston Scientific Neuromodulation of Valencia, Mellady Direct Marketing, College of the Canyons ASG, Wolf Creek Brewery and KHTS AM-1220 and 98.1 FM all sponsored the conference.

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