2026 Session Topics
Our symposium is designed for you to choose your own adventure! Each guest will attend the opening ceremony and 3 sessions. We will all start the day in the Holy Family Event Center from 9:00 - 9:30 AM before breaking into smaller speaker panels happening across campus. To make the most of your day, we recommend reviewing the panel options in advance and selecting one per session. No additional registration is needed, but take your time to craft your personalized agenda. A print and digital schedule, along with a campus map via QR code, will be provided on the day of the event to guide you to each session.
Opening Ceremony
Livestream
Session 1
10:05 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
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Through community-driven advocacy and creative enterprise, this session highlights efforts that restore dignity, safety, and opportunity for Afghan women and children affected by displacement and injustice.
Location: St. Thérèse Theater
Speakers:Dr. Susan Antolin ‘06, Alexa Apodaca ‘19, and Nargis Habib
Student Moderator: Sarai Attar ‘28
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In this dynamic conversation, author and motivational speaker Margaret Graziano explores the transformative concept of “Responsagility”, the ability to consciously choose how we respond to life’s challenges with clarity, ownership, and courage. Blending personal insight with practical tools, this session will empower attendees to move beyond reaction and into intentional leadership, cultivating resilience, accountability, and purpose in every arena of life.
Location: St. Thérèse Library
Speaker: Margaret Graziano
Student Moderator: Frances Aguilar ‘26
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In this empowering panel, hear from women in construction as they share their journeys of building careers in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Topics will range between owning an HVAC business to leading major construction, restoration, and affordable housing projects that strengthen communities. Through the lens of Amplifying Voices, these women in hard hats are breaking barriers and building their own futures.
Location: St. Thérèse Seminar Room
Speakers: Joyce Allen, Garilee Chuma '03, and Amber Rush
Student Moderator: Caroline O’Leary ‘28
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Hear from three nonprofit leaders who share how they are advancing equity, opportunity, and wellness within underserved communities. Through community development, Latina leadership advocacy, and culinary wellness rooted in food justice, their work addresses systemic barriers while uplifting culture, voice, and access. Grounded in service and driven by purpose, these changemakers demonstrate how nonprofit leadership can create tangible pathways to economic mobility, community empowerment, and healthier futures.
Location: Campus Ministry
Speakers: Mayumi Eujima-Carr, Dr. Cristina Padilla, and Alexis Villanueva
Student Moderator: Ria Carr ‘28
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Two professors in higher education, and long held friends, come together to explore the issues shaping women’s lives today. Through candid dialogue grounded in scholarship and lived experience, they unpack topics of social justice, race, gender, identity, and the evolving challenges women face across generations. Their dynamic exchange models what it means to engage in courageous conversation with empathy, intellect, and humor.
Location: Makers’ Space
Speakers: Dr. Renee Lemus Elisaldez & Dr. Cristina Rose
Student Moderator: Isabella Lemus ‘26
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This panel brings together two women in healthcare who serve children, adolescents, and families through clinical and community-based mental health care. As leaders in child psychology, recreation therapy, and clinical-community practice, they will share how they advocate for young people navigating complex emotional and behavioral challenges.
Location: Shiley Lab 120
Speakers: Dr. Brett Boeh Bergmann '10 and Dr. Jen Wojciechowski
Student Moderator: Luzia Martinez ‘27
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Hear from two FBI Special Agents as they share what it means to serve, protect, and lead with integrity in communities across the country. Through real-life experiences and lessons learned on the job, they will discuss how their voices, and the voices of those they advocate for, help strengthen safety, accountability, and trust.
*Note: Absolutely NO photography or filming of any kind is allowed in this session. This session will not be recorded by the OLP IT Department.
Location: Event Center
Student Moderator: Lauren Castiglione ‘27
Session 2
11:05 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
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Guided by a profound commitment to compassion and justice, two Catholic Sisters share a ministry rooted in serving the “dear neighbor,” especially those on the margins and within vulnerable communities. In celebration of the 375th anniversary of the CSJ heritage that inspires our mission, their work reflects a steadfast dedication to accompaniment and advocacy: walking alongside women, children, and families in times of crisis, offering radical hospitality, mercy, dignity, and hope as they journey toward stability and renewed possibility.
Location: St. Thérèse Theater
Speakers: Sr. Judy Vaughan, CSJ and Sr. Mary Waskowiak, RSM
Student Moderator: Natalia Guevara ‘26
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Hear from OLP alumnae who are recent graduates navigating the next steps in their careers and graduate studies. Get the real deal, ask your questions, and enjoy some straight talk from your big sisters about life after OLP, balancing ambitions, and embracing new opportunities.
Location: St. Thérèse Library
Speakers: Maria Morgan '17, Tati Sallins '18, and Bianca Surwilo '18
Moderators: Shawn Hanley and Kaseba Chibweth ‘19
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Join an OLP alumna attorney and a senior associate leading civil recovery for survivors of human trafficking as they share how advocacy and legal expertise can amplify the voices of the most vulnerable. Learn how they champion justice and make a tangible impact for those who need it most.
Location: St. Thérèse Seminar Room
Speakers: Jenna Rangel '98 and Allison Gill Sanford
Student Moderator: Maggie Baribault ‘27
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Hear from an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, a documentary filmmaker and production company founder, and a beloved San Diego radio personality and educator as they share how storytelling in all its forms can amplify voices, shape communities, and inspire change. Learn how each uses media to reflect real life, elevate diverse perspectives, and make an impact that resonates far beyond the airwaves and screen.
Location: Campus Ministry
Speakers: Marie Coronel, Sherry Knight, and Sara Persson
Student Moderator: Abigail Paik ‘28
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Hear from dynamic leaders in finance and consulting as they share how strategic problem-solving, effective team management, and thoughtful mentorship drive success in complex projects. Learn how they navigate budgets, resources, and timelines while cultivating leadership skills and fostering growth in those around them.
Location: Makers’ Space
Speaker: Bethany Curiel, Kristine Wexler, and Rend Williams '93
Student Moderator: Yuri Williams ‘28
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Explore the intersection of public safety, trauma care, and education with leaders who are transforming how communities respond to injury and critical care. From practicing emergency medicine in Tijuana to implementing evidence-based injury prevention programs and training the next generation of paramedics and EMTs, these women are amplifying voices and driving meaningful impact in health and safety.
Location: Shiley Lab 120
Speakers: Miriah Boettcher '09, Dr. Silvia Verdugo, and Jillian Wright
Student Moderator: Laraina Spaulding ‘27
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Join a virtual conversation with trailblazing women engineers at Blue Origin as they share their journeys in space discovery, tackling challenges in a field where women’s voices are just beginning to be amplified. Learn how their innovation, perseverance, and curiosity are shaping the future of space exploration and inspiring the next generation of female leaders.
Location: Event Center
Speakers: Llonda Bins-Lohman, Claire Luce, Christina Needles, Shivani Sodawala, and Dr. Sophia Zaccarine
Student Moderator: Audrey Varol ‘28
Session 3
12:05 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
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Hear from the Founder and CEO of Lipstick Angels about her powerful work supporting cancer patients and survivors through oncology-safe beauty, wellness, and education. Learn how her leadership amplifies voices, fosters resilience, and transforms lives with compassion in action.
Location: St. Thérèse Theater
Speaker: Renata Helfman-Baron
Student Moderator: Amelia Goodall ‘26
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Join a Grown Strong bodyweight workout led by nine-time CrossFit Games athlete Lauren Fisher, whose decade-long career at the highest level of competition has made her a global fitness icon. This all-level training session is designed so anyone can participate, with simple, effective movements that reflect the heart of Grown Strong: building strength and confidence through fitness.
*Please be sure to bring a pair of leggings with you for this session!
Location: Holy Family Event Center
Speaker: Lauren Fisher
Student Moderator: Paula Mier Y Teran ‘27
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Discover how visionary women are transforming their creativity into thriving ventures by blending floral artistry with sustainable urban farming. Learn how they cultivate beauty, purpose, and innovation while making an impact in their communities as both entrepreneurs and creatives.
Location: St. Thérèse Library
Speakers: Sara Eaton and Rachel Nafis
Student Moderator: Alessia Aguilar Carrillo ‘28
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Hear from visionary women shaping the beauty, wellness, and lifestyle industries through entrepreneurship, creativity, and expertise. From leading a beauty-tech platform, to building medical aesthetics practices, to designing premium global brands, they share how passion, innovation, and intentional leadership can transform industries and empower communities.
Location: St. Thérèse Seminar Room
Speakers: Temi Amede, Michelle Coté, and Cecilia Fernandez ‘01
Student Moderator: Grace Craig ‘26
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This panel highlights women in the performing arts who are using their creativity to inspire, educate, and empower others. Through poetry, performance, and artistic expression, they amplify diverse voices and perspectives, inviting audiences to connect deeply with culture, identity, and the human experience.
Location: Campus Ministry
Speaker: Dr. Maryruth Culver and Alexis Hernandez
Student Moderator: Valeria Ramirez-Quiroz ‘27
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Gain an inside look at the women shaping public life and civic engagement, from leading core city operations to ensure essential services reach residents efficiently, to directing complex infrastructure and capital improvement programs, and navigating the high-stakes world of political research and communications. This panel highlights how their expertise, leadership, and strategic vision amplify voices and drive meaningful impact across communities and civic systems.
Location: Makers’ Space
Speakers: Rania Amen, Bethany Bezak, and Julia Portela ‘11
Student Moderator: Rachel Nhan ‘27
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Step inside the fast-paced world of marketing and public relations with women who are shaping brand narratives on both global and community stages. From leading full-service communications strategies in public relations and thought leadership to directing social and influencer marketing among notable brands, this panel explores how powerful storytelling amplifies voices and builds brands that resonate with millions.
Location: Shiley Lab 120
Speakers: Natalia Fuscoe ‘00 and Grace Hoy ‘09
Student Moderator: Sophia Brikho ‘27