5 Quotes to EmpowHER: Girl Up McMaster Summit Reflection

Our VP Admin - Abby Simpson

I am strong. I am resilient. I am empowered. How can I ensure that I always believe these things to be true? For me, some days are better than others. A few months ago, I had one of those down days; I just didn’t feel… up.

It’s easy for womxn and girls to experience dips in their self esteem now and then. Personalization of mistakes, self-doubt, and critique of self-worth are all womxn-targeted side effects of the patriarchally-founded system under which we live our daily lives. Sometimes, however, we come across certain people who remind us of the power and limitless potential that blossoms inside of each and every one of us. The day of the Girl Up McMaster EmpowHer Summit was a day chock-full of this kind of inspiration. Listening to several guest speakers share their experiences, advice, and points of view reignited the spark that I knew I had, but couldn’t feel at the time. It’s what I needed to hear that day, and perhaps it’s what you need to hear today.

Here are 5 quotes that sum up the EmpowHer Summit, all of which I want you to keep in the back of your mind next time you’re having a down day.

“Women’s College Hospital and Planned Parenthood, like Girl Up, are communities. We build communities and relationships based on shared values, a sense of belonging, and the drive that makes change by pushing for even the smallest improvements.” - Heather McPherson

What if I told you that you - yes, YOU - have enormous potential to empower others, take charge, and make change happen? Having the courage to look for and identify gaps to fill within our communities is how we make the future look different from the present - and that’s something that Heather McPherson was never afraid to do throughout her career. As the president and CEO of Women’s College Hospital and a past chair of the board of directors of Planned Parenthood, Dr. McPherson always maintained a consistent goal of improving the health system and the patient experience.

“I’ve always put up my hand throughout my career when there were things to be done to make small, local improvements,” said Heather. “That is leadership.”

Heather strives to fill in the gaps that exist in youth healthcare, especially for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ youth. She expressed the importance of leadership and empowering others to contribute to an overall cause. Leaders can’t achieve goals alone; they need others to rally around them - people who share their values and support their vision. It’s imperative for those who strive towards positive change to be vocal and to create communities.

Heather’s message rang loud and clear in the ears of our Girl Up McMaster club members. If you want to create change, examine new perspectives. Listen. Reflect. Communicate. Collaborate. Lead. Every small change counts - in fact, that’s exactly what leads to evolution.

“There is space for everyone to be successful - whether that’s in sport, in business, in government… I think the future is incredibly bright.” - Leah MacNab

Leah MacNab is a perfect example of how dedication can dissolve the barriers that block womxn’s pursuits of careers in business and sports. After meeting an NBA employer at a Toronto Film Festival reception, Leah realized that she was facing an opportunity that had to be seized. Even after being told that she is not nearly qualified enough - and after being given the “quintessential thanks-but-no-thanks response” - Leah’s confidence in her own potential did not waiver. She continuously called the employer who turned her away, leaving voicemails and explaining why she was the perfect fit for this position. Eventually, Leah got the job - and she excelled.

“There will be times as women where we will be underestimated, and I would say it’s an advantage. You can use that to your advantage,” Leah suggested with a smile. As the managing director of NBA Canada, she is a recipient of the Canadian Sports ‘5 to Watch’ award which recognized her as one of the top executives in Canada under 40. Leah’s drive for success throughout her career has been undeniably admirable, yet she acknowledged that other women’s leadership has been a key factor in her journey.

Leah’s advice for young women in general? To embrace feedback, manage your own career path, and nurture a “cheer squad” - people who are “supportive, but also hold you accountable.” Resilience is key; you will get a lot of nos, but how can you learn from those experiences? And most importantly, believe in your own potential - no matter who tries to shut you down.

“It’s easy for me to tell you about all the things I was successful at, because it’s a short list! The [list of] things I wasn’t successful at - all the scholarships I applied to, all the jobs I applied to, all the fellowships I didn’t get - is a lot longer.” - Dr. Caitlyn Mullarkey

Dr. Caitlyn Mullarkey’s career trajectory is an impressive one. A first glance at the accomplishments of this well-educated viral immunologist provokes the assumption that she has led an academic career filled with successes. It’s true - Dr. Mullarkey is a Rhodes Scholar who eventually became a Master’s graduate of the University of Oxford. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and now serves as one of the brilliant faculty members in the department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University. However, her impressive resumé is the last thing Dr. Mullarkey would want the young women at the Girl Up Summit to remember about her.

“That’s a very nice and neat story,” she acknowledged to the audience. “[But] while that is an accurate description of how I got here… it’s not the whole story.” Dr. Mullarkey went on to remind us that success is not a straight line that solely depends on how hard we work, but rather an unpredictable zigzag that consists of hard work, circumstance, and failure. As a role model to girls in STEM, she emphasized how critical it is that we normalize discussing our failures so that young students can truly understand that ‘success’ is not one-dimensional.

Dr. Mullarkey’s discussion hit home for me, and I have a feeling that it hit home for a lot of people in the audience the day of the Summit. As we move forward, her words not only comfort us, but also motivate us to accept and share our failures rather than bury them in shame.

“We need to embrace those failures along with the successes, because those are the best opportunities to learn about yourself and what drives you, moving forward.”

“At the end of the day, you are the foundation of whatever path you decide to create” - Lola Small

As young people, we are often pigeonholed into certain life trajectories. Perhaps our parents want us to pursue careers in academia, business, or medicine. In Lola Small’s opinion, these outside-in forces are (or rather, should be) irrelevant to our personal growth. In an incredibly motivational workshop, Lola emphasized the importance of setting aside others’ expectations of ourselves and centring personal growth from the bottom-up. Coming from a “place of authenticity” is key to impacting the world with all that we have to give.

Now a bestselling author, women’s empowerment coach and social entrepreneur, Lola’s “inner knowing” has always told her that she is here to “do something for the world.” She is motivated every day to “inspire and encourage other girls and women to find that same thing within themselves.” To her, there is no better way to do that than to help others invest in themselves - with a focus on who we are deep down, and what we feel we are meant to do. Success starts and develops from within.

Lola encouraged us to develop our leadership skills through reading, establishing a healthy mind-body connection, and collaborating - the last of which she acknowledged as a uniquely feminine ability.

“As women, [one of our] biggest strengths is to see how things connect in a way that makes sense, and is a win-win for everybody.” Lola advised us all to avoid the tendencies of the competitive patriarchal system, and instead extend ourselves to embrace synergistic collaboration and creation.

Carving our own path requires us to have courage, clarity and self-belief - and we are so grateful to Lola for sharing with us her perspective on how to overcome the challenges associated with self-discovery.

“When girls rise, we all rise.” - Girl Up

In a panel moderated by our amazing VP Advocacy Oishika, we had the privilege of being introduced to Maryam and Nivaal Rehman, as well as Tehreem Athendite, who are all activists.

Tehreem, who started one of the first Girl Up clubs in Canada, talked us through what she truly loves most about feminist activism: grassroots initiatives. In her eyes, the true purpose of organizations like Girl Up is to provide a platform for those who are not okay with the status quo, and want to take action to change it. Maryam and Nivaal first felt their calling to initiate change when they met young girls in Pakistan who were unable to access education due to poverty. They each emphasized the immense power held by girls when we are united.

We all come from different backgrounds, carry different experiences on our shoulders and see the world from different perspectives. But being involved with Girl Up (and feminist activism in general) brings women and girls together as one movement, under the umbrella of feminism, activism, and perhaps most importantly, self-confidence.

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All of these amazing women at the EmpowHer Summit reminded us of the spark that all womxn and girls have, but is too often suppressed. Moving forward, I hope that you will carry their words with you any time you experience a down day. Lift up other womxn and girls so that their voices can be amplified. And, most importantly, believe in your own worth. I am strong. I am resilient. I am empowered.

by Abby Simpson'23 (Girl Up McMaster VP Admin)