With an eye toward the importance of career reinvention, the FIU Business 2021 Power Up Women’s Leadership Summit encouraged participants to “flip the switch.” The virtual event, held on March 8, International Women’s Day, drew 280 participants.

Amid an era of profound change driven by the pandemic, when more than two million women have left the U.S. labor force, Power Up speakers encouraged participants to stay committed to their search for opportunities and seek to open doors to positive change. The focus: empowering women professionally and in leadership roles.

Among the speakers was Raquel “Rocky” Egusquiza, president of the Miami Marlins Foundation and newly-appointed and first-ever vice president of diversity for the Miami Marlins, who urged participants to search for an employer that respected their goals and values.

“When sometimes we have a seat at the table, we’re so happy that we forget why it’s happening,” said Egusquiza. “We have to make sure our voice is heard, make it heard with that same courage it took us to get there in the first place.”

The Power Up summit featured a presentation by students, faculty and mentors of the first ATOM Pink Tank, which helps women enter STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and math – by giving them support and experience. The goal: encourage women to seek out STEM-related jobs, which are in some of the fastest-growing fields of the future.

Showcasing their skills, the Pink Tank women presented a data analysis of issues face by women while executives from Pink Tank sponsor BankUnited spoke about the importance of the experience and urged young women to follow their dreams.

Executive coach Shanequa Fleming, CEO of Culture Accelerators, moderated the event. Addressing the group, she described challenges as opportunities in disguise that drive the need for change.

“This is a cause for you to move differently, to expand your view, your sphere of influence and of control,” said Fleming. “As leaders, we have to be constantly finding ways to disrupt the things that you do, to disrupt yourself.”

Two more virtual “Power Up Power Hour” presentations will be held July 8 and November 8, leading up to the 2022 Power Up Women’s Leadership Summit which is expected to be in person.

Now in its sixth year, the FIU Power Up Women’s Leadership Summit has sought to empower women at every stage of their careers through expert insight and community building.