Hundreds gathered Saturday at the College of the Canyons University Center for a day of celebration and empowerment of women in the Santa Clarita Valley community.

College of the Canyons hosted the annual Women’s Conference featuring over 15 breakout sessions and Keynote speaker Kim Goldman.

Click here for photos from the event, and comment the KHTS Facebook page.

“This year’s conference offered sessions on a broad range of topics of interest to women and focus on following your passion,” said Diane Fiero, COC vice president of human resources, “and getting involved in non-profit organizations in our community and beyond.”

The breakout sessions included “Professional Mentoring for Women.” The speakers discussed and shared their personal experiences on very real challenges in today’s workplace, such as work-life balance, self-promotion and successful negotiation.

The conference also hosted panels with topics ranging from “Healthy and Happy Relationships” to “The Next Generation of Leaders.”

This year’s theme, “Inspiring Voices: Making a Difference in an Ever-Changing World,” is meant to cultivate personal growth and help attendees achieve their personal and professional goals, according to organizers.

The Keynote speaker, Kim Goldman, is the executive director of The Youth Project a non-profit organization that provides free counseling and outreach to teenagers in the SCV.

Goldman has appeared twice on the NY Times Bestseller list with “His Name is Ron,” “Our Search for Justice,” and “If I Did It, Confessions of the Killer.”

The Women’s Conference also invited many independent vendors that feature products for women. Most of these businesses are local and women owned. The vendors also donated goods for a raffle at the end of the event, which was co-sponsored by  Boston Scientific Neuromodulation, with proceeds going to the 2018 conference, according to officials.

The event came to a close with a screening of “Equal Means Equal,” a look at how women are treated in the United States today. The film explored topics such as workplace matters, domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, foster care system and the legal system.

For more information about the COC Women’s Conference visit the website.