On 29 May the University of Canterbury hosted a Women in Leadership breakfast at GridAKL. This is an annual event and one that can’t be missed by young women interested in leadership.
Mrs Butchers accompanied five King’s girls and we were all greeted warmly and hosted by Old Collegian, Emma Lowe (Middlemore, 2013-14), who sat with us and answered any questions we had about university or what it was like to transition from King’s into university.
The guest speaker was University of Canterbury (UC) alumna Hannah Dudar who was living proof of how UC supports and encourages innovation and entrepreneurship - especially how it supports young women. She spoke about university life, what it was like to launch start-ups at university and how she worked to earn profit but still wanted to better the lives of others and how she has achieved that. It was really inspiring to hear her story, which was followed by a delicious breakfast buffet and luckily, we were able to get our breakfast first.
After breakfast, Hannah talked more about her apps and non-profit organisations and the opportunities she had at UC that allowed her to accomplish that. We also had the opportunity to talk to her and other UC representatives from different fields who were all welcoming to different talents and interests. Other than the inspiring talks and delicious food, there was also a photo booth! Taking photos in the photo booth was a good way to end the morning, especially from being able to mingle with UC staff members, graduates and current students who happily gave us a lot of information.
A stomach full of breakfast wasn’t all that we took away from that morning, we also took away important messages. One of these was that you should always aim to reach your goals and work towards your dreams, even if you think that they’re unattainable and unrealistic. Hannah Dudar said that you should take every opportunity you get, especially at university which was encouraging and inspiring to hear from a successful young woman. Overall, it was a brilliant event and well worth attending.
By Stella Wilson (Year 13, Taylor)
