Key Lessons From the 2018 Ron Brown Leaders Summit in NYC

Over the weekend, I traveled to New York City to convene with my fellow Ron Brown Leaders. The Ron Brown Leaders network is a community of driven, passionate people who connect and support each other in the goal to succeed and flourish in college and beyond. Students came to the summit from various parts of the country and donned apparel from a diverse mix of colleges during College Shirt night. It was so inspiring and awesome to meet and learn from my peers.

This experience was valuable in so many ways and some of the key lessons I learned are shared here.

The day of the summit kicked off with the Women in STEM Breakfast. We ate breakfast, got to meet each other, and listened to an amazing panel of women in STEM.

• Camille Wardrop Alleyne, Rocket Scientist and Humanitarian at NASA
• Eleanor Branch, Entrepreneur and Corporate Strategist
• Nydia Clayton, Senior Manager at Deloitte
• Sharon Brickhouse Martin, Founder and President at Brickhouse Martin Healthcare Engineering

These women shared inspiring lessons and stories. I listened intently while jotting down the wisdom that they shared:

Speak up! Get into the habit of speaking to be heard and also being an attentive, active listener. One way to develop this habit is to advocate for causes you are passionate about. Eleanor and I connected on our shared passion for women’s economic empowerment and financial literacy.

It’s important to have a passion for what you do. Self awareness is a process of identifying your strengths, weaknesses, skills, and interests. Take time to think about these and write them down.

Be able to self promote in a positive way. Stay focused and believe in yourself. Ultimately, you are your biggest advocate.

It’s important to have a mantra. Camille shared that her own mantra is: “Excellence is the key.” She noted that excellence is more powerful than all the negative -isms. She advised us to know who we are and strive for excellence in all we do.

Be a problem-solver. This skill is invaluable as you navigate new experiences, roles, and challenges.

Build your skills and experiences and surround yourself with people who are also driven.

It is okay to ask your network (peers, professors, mentors, family, etc.) and even people not in your network yet for help. This is a sign of strength- not a sign of weakness.

Move out of your comfort zone. When you challenge yourself, you will grow and become a better version of your true self.

Have an abundance mentality and not a scarcity mentality. There is room for everyone at the top. Pulling others down will not bring you up.

Non-STEM skills that are crucial:

• Communication skills. Be able to communicate your ideas with others. Ask for what you want confidently.
• Relationship building and nurturing. Be intentional about making sure that the you treat people well and keep in touch.
• Writing coherently
• Empathy towards others
• Respect and appreciation for people’s diverse cultures, identities, and experiences.

Develop your network. The panelists stressed the importance of mentors, advocates, and sponsors and the difference between the three of them:

• Mentors- help you navigate decisions, provide advice
• Advocates- people who will positively talk about the work that you do and stand up for you
• Sponsors- influential people who have the power to actually get you to where you want to go

The rest of the day was also very inspiring. During “The Power of YOU” Session we learned from great people like:

• Kelly Batts, Senior Manager at Deloitte
• Courtney Dornell, Senior Director at OTIS
• Frances Gonzalez, Technical Lead at Lockheed Martin
• Stephan Johnson, Customer Acquisition at Goldman Sachs
• Jodie Taylor, University Programs at Google

We learned the following:

-Bring your authentic self to any and every setting you are. Frances told us that this has tremendously helped him in his personal life and career.

-Expose yourself to new opportunities through experiential learning.

-Get into the habit of forming good habits.

-Be able to share your experiences with others.

-Personal, in-person connection is still very valuable.

One thing I really loved was getting to answer really thought-provoking questions such as, “What is success to you?” One of my favorite responses was from a peer who said that he will know he is successful when people around him are also successful too. He hopes to make an impact in other people’s lives by mentoring and supporting others so that they will also pay it forward to even more people and continue this on and on.

I asked the panel for advice for people like me who are starting their freshman year of college in the fall. The responses to my “What do you wish you knew when you were about to start freshman year of college?” question were:

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help and take advantage of resources
• Be intellectually curious and say yes to new challenges and experiences.
• Have intriguing, thought-provoking, conversations
• Try new activities on and off campus
• Learn studying and time management skills
• Be proud of and true to your authentic self

I hope this was information was valuable to you and can’t wait for next year’s summit!!