The third annual Curate Women’s Summit will feature 25 speakers in the Plaster Auditorium this weekend.
From 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Hillsdale women will have the opportunity to attend up to four break-out sessions and connect with other women, including alumni, staff, and faculty.
For the first time, the day will be followed by a Mini Maker’s Market featuring local female artisans.
“The purpose of Curate is to build up our female community by connecting students with some of our remarkable alumni, staff, and faculty,” Olds Residence House Director Rachel Marinko said. “We want to encourage our female students to consider the many different paths you can take to grow as a woman. If something a speaker says resonates with a student, we hope it can create a connection for her to learn even more from that speaker.”
Student Activities Program Assistant Riley Arlinghaus said students can especially look forward to Professor of Art Barbara Bushey and Dean of Women Rebekah Dell’s panel on creativity, and homemaker Allison Hutchinson’s speech on volunteering.
“The speakers truly want to connect with students, and Curate is the best place to find yourself in conversation with a new friend or mentor,” Arlinghaus said.
The theme this year is “Radiant.”
“We chose the Radiant theme because we love the definition: sending out light and shining or glowing brightly,” Marinko said. “I think it applies to our community of women here. We also liked the visual aspect of it for décor.”
Junior Kate Pipher has attended the Curate summit for the past two years.
“I have really enjoyed the wisdom from so many different women on so many different topics,” she said, “and I’m excited to see what I will learn this year.”
Morning coffee and light refreshments, lunch from Handmade, and afternoon snacks will be provided. There will also be a make-your-own tea bag station.
“The coffee and pastries are nice,” Pipher said. “They really pamper us.”
Students can visit the Curate website to register.
“It’s a day for our college women to feel loved and cared for,” Marinko said, “because we really do want the best for every single woman who comes to Hillsdale.”