Sporting a pink power suit and holding journalistic devices, I headed to Marymount School of New York to attend their 7th annual WOW summit. The acronym “WOW” represents Women in Our World, which is also the name of the club at Marymount that hosts this student-led summit. Taking place on Saturday, November 19, 2022, in Marymount’s auditorium from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, and following daily emails as well as a promotional video from the WOW club, this year’s empowering theme was Hear HERstory. Attendance was free and open to anyone, with most attendees being Marymount students or from nearby high schools.

The summit, according to those who organized it, “is a female empowerment summit dedicated to educating high school students across New York City on modern-day, intersectional feminism.” The WOW summit, which launched in November of 2016 and has occurred every year since, has hosted various speakers who have come to Marymount to share their life stories, offer advice, and answer questions pertinent to the year's theme. Past speakers include comedian and activist Amy Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Nobel Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee. The previous two summits were impacted by COVID-19 and were therefore held  virtually, but this year’s summit marked the return to in-person WOW summits.

I and other eager students were ushered in by Lye, Maria, and Lane, enthusiastic Class X students and members of WOW who could be heard from afar as they voiced their excitement for the summit. Other members of WOW guided those in attendance to the auditorium, where empowering music blasted from speakers and a slideshow detailing the WOW summit’s journey was projected onto the manual wall screen. Students from various schools gathered to discuss their experiences with feminism in their schools, but a hush fell over the crowd once two seniors from the WOW team approached the podium and began to welcome everyone and provide an introduction to the first speaker, Ms. Samantha Silva, as a Zoom meeting with her was projected onto the wall screen and greetings were exchanged.

An author, screenwriter, and playwright, Ms. Silva wears many hats. Silva has had a successful writing career: she’s sold film projects to Paramount, Universal, and New Line Cinema; her debut novel, Mr. Dickens and His Carol, was published by Flatiron Books in 2017; she was an Idaho Commission on the Arts Literary Fellow in 2020 and a 2022 Bread Loaf Literary Fellow; her book Love and Fury: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft was published in 2021; and her latest work, an adaptation of Mr. Dickens and His Carol for a stage production by Seattle Repertory Theater, premiered in November 2022. Her interest in writing was piqued when she was in the 5th grade, but that joy faded as Silva explored concepts in government while in high school and pursued politics and international affairs in college. After she graduated, she ended up rediscovering her passion for writing through screenwriting. Despite the tendency of Hollywood writers moving to Los Angeles, California, Silva did not make the change and she chose to remain in Idaho, where she currently resides.

Choosing to write novels instead of screenplays, Silva became interested in the story of Mary Shelley, the author of the novel Frankenstein. However, her publisher recommended that she do some research on Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, an author and the mother of Mary Shelley. As Silva aptly put it, “Everyone knows Mary Shelley, very few people know her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, who is considered by many to be the mother of feminism in the late 18th century.” Silva admired how Wollstonecraft paid no heed to members of the patriarchy who found her intimidating, standing as an avatar of feminism, and Silva was “utterly mesmerized” by Wollstonecraft’s story and the revolutionary ideas she put forward through her writing. She revived Silva’s interest in writing: “And here I am, a woman of a certain age, being transported back to my 5th grade self. I could never have imagined the circuitous journey I made.” She chose Wollstonecraft as the subject of Love and Fury  to inspire a new generation of feminists, just as Silva herself had been.

A student from the audience inquired about potential subjects for Silva’s next novel, to which Silva claimed, “I’m always looking. My ears are perked at the moment,” and she then turned the question back to the student by asking, “What should I write my next book about? Anything I hear may spark my next novel.”

In a word of advice to young people who aspire to write one day, Silva suggested that people should write without waiting for a mentor or asking for permission. “Trust yourself above all,” she said, relaying meaningful advice to the dozens of expectant high schoolers. “Secondly,” she continued, “when it’s hard, don’t give up. There will be obstacles, you will make mistakes, you will miss opportunities, but you can overcome them.” Stressing the importance of finding one’s “people,” Silva added that one should “keep them close and don’t lose them.” She also recommended trying all forms of writing because they all gave her gifts and make up who she is, and the same could happen to anyone else.

Then Shannon, a Class XI student at Marymount on the WOW summit’s leadership team, thanked Silva for her time and provided an introduction to Ms. Reena Ninan, the next speaker. Ninan is the founder of Good Trouble Productions, a media company focused on creating content with purpose, and a television journalist who has worked as a White House correspondent, foreign reporter, and news anchor for ABC, CBS, and Fox News. Among her contributions is her podcast, HERO: the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, which analyzes the economic traits of women in altering the status quo to better their lives and the world.

Ninan considered her “defining moment” to be when she and her crew were attacked by Al-Qaeda while positioned in Iraq. When she was informed about the task of reporting in a politically unstable, war-torn nation, Ninan replied, “Great, I’ll take the opportunity.” Arriving in Iraq at the age of 25, she recalled this as the moment when she knew that she was meant to be a journalist. But that feeling of elation quickly faded when Al-Qaeda car bombed the hotel where Ninan was staying four times in 10 minutes. Luckily, Ninan and her crew knew they were unharmed, yet that powerful moment when her life was endangered remained with Ninan throughout her career. Regarding the aftermath, Ninan shared, “That was a moment where after all that preparation I had done - learning about the players in Iraq, feeling comfortable with the subject matter, knowing that I was ready - they put me on air.” Ninan went on to work with the ABC to cover the Obama administration as a White House correspondent.

In her early teenage years, Ninan, who had known from the age of five that she wanted to be a journalist, noticed a lack of women in informative media. She looked up to and admired the few women whom she did see, such as Diane Sawyers. Ninan believes that including more women in journalism will result in further diversified beliefs, which is imperative when hearing both sides of a story.

Soon, a student panel in which teens in New York City shared their perspectives on several issues commenced. The panel, which was made up of both female-identifying and male-identifying students from a selection of private high schools in NYC, tackled topics such as intersectional feminism, the inclusion of women of color, toxic masculinity, gender norms, and body image in uniform-required schools.

“At Regis, which is an all-boys school, I see this all the time: people have these goals of being the perfect man, which I feel is just an idealized way of enforcing gender norms. It shouldn’t be about being the perfect man, it should be about being a good person,” one boy on the panel said. A female student added, “Growing up, I went to a co-ed school, and the expectations for boys and girls were extremely different. Girls were placed next to boys when boys were acting up, and teachers would say to ‘be a good role model for this person.’ So, I think that schools can directly impact how you see yourself and how you see your gender.”

To provide an opportunity to discuss critical points from the summit, attendees were then told to face those that were seated in their vicinity and to form a discussion group. A new prompt regarding feminism was provided every couple of minutes. I was seated with several sophomores from Marymount, and they had much to say. Lye claimed that the purpose of feminism is “uplifting people no matter their gender and helping to get rid of gender stereotypes,” all while working towards “a more genderless world.” Amanda, agreeing with Lye, also believes that a more gender-neutral society is the next step. “I think it is really important to spread awareness that feminism is not trying to make women better than everyone else. Feminism is about equality for all genders,” Lina added, to which a resounding “yes” could be heard within the discussion group. Celine stressed, “Feminism aims to have women’s voices heard.”

As the next speaker, Ms. Elena Favilli, was welcomed, the discussion groups dissolved and everyone returned to their seats. Favilli is a New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and media entrepreneur, and she is also the co-founder of Rebel Girls and serves on the board leading all impact initiatives. She created a podcast based on her most popular book, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, which became a global phenomenon in the children’s publishing industry.

Favilli opened the conversation by expressing joy at seeing such a female-empowering summit and wishing this was around when she was in school. However, that desire to uplift women remained with her even after she graduated. Originally wanting to recreate female protagonists in fairy tales, Favilli wrote Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls to serve as a “collection of bedtime stories about real women who have changed or are changing the world in every field or career from the past and the present, from Cleopatra to Serena Williams.” The book evolved from a series to a large media company that is on a mission to “close the confidence gap and bring gender equity,” as Favilli put it. She highlighted the lack of confidence caused by society in girls around age seven, and the confidence gap she mentioned referred to the difference in confidence in girls and boys from ages seven to nine. Favilli’s hope for the media company is that it helps future generations to be more confident and raise their voices.

“It’s easy to talk about human rights in generic terms, as if it is only affecting nations far away from us. We must remember that these issues - domestic violence, unequal wages, misrepresentation in media - start at home,” Favilli said. She pointed out how this disproportionately affects women of color as compared to white women, and states that her podcast aims to be inclusive of all women. In order to do this, she encourages women on her podcast to engage in personal storytelling. Favilli emphasized the importance of “taking the microphone to tell your own story and amplify voices of others,” which relates to the summit’s theme, Hear HERstory.

The second out of three times that personal storytelling is mentioned as a tool for driving social change, Favilli’s claims are similar to those of Ninan. “I think personal storytelling is so important,” Ninan had claimed when asked about individual narratives in her work and everyday life. “Everyone who has a platform can amplify stories, especially stories of those whose voices are silenced.”

Rigoberta Menchú is a prime example of utilizing personal storytelling to make change. She made an impact on  Favilli, as she was the only indigenous Guatemalan woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992. She was born in Guatemala, but she spent most of her life in exile in Mexico due to her work in activism, which centered around fighting for the rights of indigenous people, who were assaulted by the Guatemalan government. She emerged as a prominent national figure after her autobiography was published. By sharing her story, she was raising the voices of those who were in the same situation as she was, which eventually brought about social and political change in her country.

To conclude her speaking time, Favilli offered advice to her teenage self as well as young members of the audience: “Use your voice and don’t care what others think.” The attendees absorbed her words as the next speaker, Ms. Pam Elam, was introduced and brought onto the stage.

Elam is the president of Monumental Women, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing awareness and appreciation of Women’s History through the establishment of statues, gardens, and plaques dedicated to influential women. She has organized and managed numerous programs and projects over the years including the first presidential candidates debate on Women’s Issues in New York City as well as over 100 public hearings on Women’s Issues for the New York City Council.

Elam spotlighted the power found in preserving and celebrating Women’s History, which is the goal of Monumental Women. She shared that Monumental Women had to fight for a long time before erecting its most famous contribution, the “Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton Corner.” Located in Central Park, it's the first statue of real women - fictional women such as Alice in Wonderland, Juliet, and Mother Goose have been portrayed in the park - in the park’s 167-year history. Elam had led the effort to extract approval from the New York City Council on legislation in 2004 to construct the statue, but she and her team had to overcome several obstacles prior to building the statue. Initially, the Council refused to alter the park in any way, whether it was by adding or removing statues. Elam did accept this rejection, and she persisted until the Council granted a permit to create a statue on the outside of Central Park, to which she was unsatisfied and continued pushing until the Council allowed the statue to be built within the park’s boundaries. Then the pandemic hit.

Eventually, Monumental Women unveiled the statue amidst the pandemic, and the statue’s journey displayed the resilience of women who want to preserve history. Elam’s inspiring story brought about a round of applause and cheers from the attendees. Representing women through contemporary art is the mission of Monumental Women, as Elam states:  “Women’s History Month is a historical treasure chest overflowing with the stories of women who serve to inspire. We learn of their strategies and tactics in the battle for equality, we learn of their courage and their imperfections, we look at the totality of their lives, and we build on their work, honor their memories, and vow to complete their journeys.”

The monuments are set up in the hometown of the woman being commemorated so that young girls can be inspired by them. Out of curiosity, Elam asked the attendees if there were any powerful female figures they would like to see a statue of. Among the suggested names were Phillis Wheatley, Madam CJ Walker, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Lane, a Class X student, proposed the name Taylor Swift, to which the summit attendees chuckled and a few students enthusiastically shouted, “Yes!” Without missing a beat, Elam held up the microphone and replied, “Hey, I’m a Swiftie, too,” resulting in the audience erupting in cheers and applause.

Following Elam sharing her perspective on feminism, students were given the option of partaking in either an art or writing workshop with Ms. Jennifer Croson or Dr. Paloma Yannakakis, respectively. Ms. Croson, an art teacher at Marymount, engaged the students in personal storytelling through visual artwork. Although Dr. Yannakakis could not attend, Dr. Davis, an English teacher at Marymount, conducted the writing workshop in her stead. I participated in the writing workshop, where the focus was on poetry and how an individual’s narrative could be exhibited through it. Words were rearranged and experiences shared as students further explored this vulnerable form of writing.

Once the workshops concluded, the attendees headed back to the auditorium for a closing statement from the seniors on the WOW summit’s organizing committee.

As the attendees exited the building, I had the opportunity to hear Ailish’s perspective on the summit. The Class IX student shared, “Personally, I felt that Elena Favilli’s words had the most impact on me. I think this mostly stems from reading Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls at a very young age. Then, at the summit, through hearing her talk about the impact her books have had on the lives of other young women and her process of choosing which women to cover, I found a greater appreciation for the author behind a book that had always inspired me.” When asked about her favorite part of the summit, Ailish pointed out the student panel. “I found it really interesting to hear about the experiences and impacts of feminism on students from different schools,” she highlighted. Regarding her pursuit of writing, she said, “Hearing from Reena Ninan, in particular, reminded me of my interest in writing. Through talking about her role as a television journalist she shared how she was able to advocate and inform through her writing.”

Everyone who was present at the WOW summit had the opportunity to hear eloquent speakers, engage in collaborative discourse with fellow attendees, and explore the role of art and writing in personal storytelling. The summit’s theme, Hear HERstory, was an impactful choice, as it relates to feminism on a global scale, specifically the protests in Iran. From the eager middle school students to the progressing high school students to the erudite adults, everyone left the 2022 WOW summit feeling inspired by this truly empowering experience.