March is a very special month. Sure, there’s St. Patrick’s Day and the anticipated March Madness. But most importantly, March is Women’s History Month: a time to celebrate all the accomplishments of women from the past and the women in the present and reflect on how what they’ve done for our community has paved a road for all the women in the future.
Sinclair celebrates Women’s History Month each year with their “31 Days of Women.” 2024 marked the seventh year that the Diversity Department has put on this wonderful event. Hosted by Flexible Learning Coordinator Deborah Fobbs and Communications Professor Jessica McKinley, this event celebrated 31 women who were nominated by their peers.
Opening with a welcome address from Sinclair’s Senior Vice President, Madeline Iseli, she introduced this year’s theme as “quintessence,” which she describes as the “fifth essence.” Iseli explained that, to her, the quintessential woman is compassionate, creative, and commonsensical.
“Compassion is about community, and I would argue that women are the drivers of community,” Iseli said.
Next, the keynote speaker, Tay Mosely took the stage. Mosely is an entrepreneur, mental health advocate, and the perfect example of a quintessential woman (she was even recognized by Glamour Magazine as Community College Woman of the Year in 2021). Additionally, she tutors in Sinclair’s Writing Lab.
Mosely shared her inspirational story about discovering her passion for catering and taking care of her community. One thing she touched on, and what seemed to resonate a lot with the audience were feelings of unworthiness and imposter syndrome. Tay Mosely shared the importance that women step into their power, even when it feels undeserving.
“When you’re coming into your own power it can feel very unworthy. Understand that we are all going through different things and that those things don’t define us, even our achievements don’t define us. But it’s how we walk into those achievements and it’s important that we present ourselves authentically, instead of trying to be perfect,” she said.
31 Sinclair staff and faculty members were honored this year. These are the outstanding women:
Marita Abram, Jenny Bagwell, Carita Bass, Cecilia Bidigare, Myra Bozeman, Furaha Henry-Jones, Dana Cunningham, Monika Daubernova, Kimberly Duff, Crystal Echols, Cindy Giner, Amanda Hayden, Tonya Howard, Denise Jepsen, Kristin Kwiat, Danielle Lainhart, Carrie Lair, Jennifer Resseguie, Brianna Reynolds, Cindy Ryan Trish Simonton, Penny Stewart, and Kyle Stone.
Congratulations to these outstanding women who demonstrate, right here at Sinclair, how women have the power to create change and build a strong community.
Macey Heys, Managing Editor
(Featured Image from Canva)