2022 Women's Career Institute 
Sunday, March 27, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Siebel Center for Design

Keynote Presentation: The Myth of Having It All: Filling Your Life One Bucket at a Time
Keynote Presenter: Rebecca Guyette, MA, CFRE

Rebecca (Becca) Guyette is a Midwest native and moved to the Champaign-Urbana community in August of 2001 to attend graduate school at the University of IL. In 2013 Becca joined the United Way of Champaign County as Director of Leadership Giving, overseeing the annual Pillar giving program. In 2019, she became Chief Development Officer. In that role, Becca continues to oversee the Pillar program, planned giving and United Way’s Resource Development division. As a Certified Fundraising Executive she does ongoing training with local fundraising professionals, with specific emphasis on the development and sustainability of annual fund and major gift programs.

Prior to coming to United Way, Becca worked for 10 years at the University YMCA as Program and Development Director and led a capital funds drive to renovate their building. She received her MA in Communication from the University of Illinois. In 2014 Becca was recognized as the Central Illinois Business Magazine “Woman of the Year” for her professional and community efforts. She has served as a board and committee member of several community organizations and enjoys volunteering locally. Becca lives in Savoy with her husband Joe and two children.

Workshop Session 1: Dare to Lead
Presenter: Beth Hoag, Director for Assessment & Planning, Student Affairs at the University of Illinois
This session will unpack Brené Brown’s concept of a brave leadership and discuss the four skills needed to lead courageously. Participants will engage in interactive activities and discussion to explore what it means to rumble with vulnerability and live into your values.

Beth Hoag is the Director for Assessment and Planning in Student Affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her primary responsibilities include coordinating division-wide assessment efforts, strategic planning, and administering campus-wide survey projects. Beth obtained her B.S. and M.A. from Bradley University, and her Ph.D in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University. She has over 15 years of experience in student affairs focusing on assessing co-curricular experiences, student leadership development, student employment, and collaboration between student affairs and academic affairs.

Workshop Session 2: Tell Your Story: Networking 101
Presenter: Amanda Cox, MSEd, Associate Director of Career Education and Professional Connections, Career Center
Do you feel like you’ve learned a lot of valuable skills from your on campus job but don’t know how to communicate it? Have you been really involved in service and don’t know how to articulate that to employers or schools? If yes, this workshop is for you! In this workshop learn the basics of resume and cover letter writing along with how to highlight your transferable skills and market all of your skills and experiences to employers.

Amanda Cox, MSEd is the Associate Director of Career Education and Professional Connections at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She has spent the last 21 years serving the career development needs of students, providing programs, and training campus partners on the value of career services. She currently supports multiple teams including career education, employer connections, and international education. She believes in actively giving back to the community through service and education and volunteers her time across campus. In addition, she serves as the co-chair for the National Career Development Association Awards Committee and was selected for the National Association of Colleges and Employers Career Readiness Task Force. She can be reached at aacox@illinois.edu.

Workshop Session 3: She's Legit: Combating Imposter Syndrome
Presenter: Kalynn Ogle, Lead UI Artist | Senior UI Artist I at Deep Silver Volition
Imposter Syndrome" is often used to describe internal experiences of intellectual phoniness that appears to be particularly prevalent and intense among a select sample of high achieving women. Explore the common ways imposter syndrome shows up and ways to combat it.

Kalynn Ogle is the Lead UI artist for Saints Row at Deep Silver Volition. She hails from the Smokey Mountain area in East Tennessee. She moved to Champaign in 2018 to work at Volition. Shortly after being hired as a UI artist, Kalynn was promoted to lead artist and has since been working in a leadership position. In this role she manages her team and drives the art direction on their current project. In 2019 she trained with the AbleGamers Charity to become the first game developer at her studio to be a Certified APX Practitioner.

 

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Women's Career Institute 2019

The Women's Career Institute is a free, day-long career and leadership development focused on addressing concerns that women-identified students commonly face when first entering the workforce. Breakfast and lunch are included at no cost. The 2019 Women's Career Institute was held on Saturday, Febrary 23, 2019 at the Levis Faculty Center, courtesy of the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities (IPRH). 

 

Keynote Speaker: Tekita Bankhead

The social construct of professionalism can impose subtle constraints on an individual’s professional identity, particularly for professionals with historically marginalized identities. Traditional notions of professionalism have often been modeled after social norms based in largely White, heteronormative, and capitalist culture leaving very little room for deviance, individuality, and authentic expression. This keynote explored the concept of unapologetic professionalism and how women can navigate their workspaces in a way that is authentic, empowering, and strategic.

Photo of Tekita Bankhead

Hailing from the “Friendly City” of Columbus, Mississippi, Tekita Bankhead is a registered nurse, a Student Affairs professional, and currently serves as an Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Specialist in Education at the University of Illinois Counseling Center. She received her M.S. in Counselor Education with an Emphasis in Student Affairs Administration from Mississippi State University and her Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Mississippi University for Women. Her professional experiences focus on mental health, social justice, effective coping skills, race-related trauma in Black students, and culturally specific outreach and prevention. Tekita is a noted speaker, instructor, and consultant who delivers innovative and interactive educational workshops designed to tackle complex issues of inclusive leadership, cultural competence, wellness, and identity. In her spare time, she enjoys being a community servant as an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and working on her passion project, The Pedestal Project, LLC, which focuses on uplifting Black women.

 

2019 WCI Topics: Enhancing Confidence & Thriving as a Professional

Sessions were divided between two tracks. The first track (Enhancing Confidence) included, "Branding Yourself", "Dare to Lead: Lessons from Brené Brown", “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, however, if faced with courage, need not be lived again”,  "Recognizing Imposter Syndrome", and "Moving Beyond Self Doubt". The first track (Thriving as a Professional) included, "Secrets of Credit Reports Unveiled", "Enhancing Your Professional Toolkit: Goal Setting, Applications, and Email Etiquette", "Managing Difficult Conversations in the Workplace and Beyond", and "Mentoring Matters".

 

Sponsors

The 2019 WCI was sponsored by the Women’s Resources Center in collaboration with the Career Center, YWCA of the University of Illinois, and the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology. Additional support was provided by the School of Labor and Employment Relations, Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities, the AAUW of Illinois, Weston Exploration LLC, the School of Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics, and the School of Chemical Sciences Career Services. Paid for in part by the Student Cultural Programming Fee.