The Women's Symposium seeks to empower, motivate, and encourage girls and women from all backgrounds and all educational and professional levels to pursue their passions and seek leadership roles in their desired career paths.

As part of ULM's celebration of Woman's History Month, the Women's Symposium - in a panelist/moderator format - discusses issues women face every day: networking, inclusion, leadership, professionalism, and financial growth.

Julie Stokes will serve on the Building the Table: Women in Politics and Governance Panel from 3:15pm-4:00pm. 

All throughout history, we have seen trends of women entering government spaces, challenging policies that do not serve them and their families. Making sure the needs of citizens are met requires representatives from all sectors of society. People tend to fight for things that affect them personally. To solve a problem, one has to first identify a problem. Governance is the intersection of people and power, and when citizens invest that power in their leaders, they expect access and results. This means making progress for one group while asking others to wait their turn, not an easy feat. Effective policy means effective prioritization, and everyone wants their needs met first. Our panel of women in politics have travelled this road and will share their experiences in governance.