Waltham Students Attend DA Empowerment Conference

WALTHAM, MA — Each year the Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan hosts several hundred students for a conference meant to empower young women. This year some 450 students from 30 middle and high schools across Middlesex County including three Waltham schools showed up for the Women with Vision conference in Lexington, the DA announced.

This year’s theme focused on leadership, self-discovery and goal-setting in the face of obstacles.

“As a part of this year’s conference we focused on working with the students to express their vision for their future,” said District Attorney Ryan in a statement. “Individual visions are what makes the world different, and although not every dream these students have will turn into reality, this conference helps them to learn that it is how they deal with the obstacles in their way that will make a difference in their future.”

The Sixth Annual Empowering Girls Conference built upon past conference themes designed to encourage confidence-building, self-assertion and goal-setting through compelling speakers and interactive presentations.

Speakers over the course of the two day conference - ranging from the CEO of the New England Aquarium, Attorney Carmen Ortiz to Karen Anderson of WCVB Boston — encouraged students to be persistent when pursuing their goals and not let stereotypes define them. Students created vision boards to represent the path they see for their future and engaged in interactive group discussion about what obstacles may face on their journey and how to address them.

Check out more photos here from Day 2.

Students from across Middlesex County attended, including from John F. Kennedy Middle School, John W. McDevitt Middle School and Waltham High School.

Photos courtesy Middlesex DA.