By: Alyssa Huey
I walked into the familiar hallways of my high school to spend a day with girls I had never met only because my dance team captain was making us for “bonding purposes.” I would have never thought that one day would spark a passion in me and be my favorite day for the next five years. This was the first ever Shine Girl Summit, before we even knew to call it Shine Girl Summit.
The Shine Summit is a day when girls and women of all ages come together to learn what it means to empower one another. I had the privilege to be a part of this day in high school and ultimately be a member of the high school planning committee. But soon realized that Shine Girl and the Shine Summit would be forever for me, and I would continue to want to be a part of that day and the organization.
I finally found my voice with Shine Girl. I felt that I had finally found a community of women that was centered on a value of focusing on empowering each other. I felt empowered to be who I am as a young girl because I was surrounded by the strongest group of girls that pushed me to be better while making me feel loved everyday. The summer after my freshman year of college I was fortunate enough to work alongside Staci Batterson, Shine CEO, as the first ever Shine Intern. Last summer Shine Girl continued to work within my life shaping me into a stronger and more confident woman, which shouldn’t surprise me. I count myself lucky to be a part of this organization, and even luckier to have a breakout session at the 2020 Shine Summit.
This year I am speaking with my own breakout session called “Perfecting Your Personal Brand.” The best part about it is I am able to do it with my mom, who is the epitome of empowering women around her. (I highly recommend working on a breakout session with your mom if you ever have the chance.) I am able to share my journey as a woman with the woman who I’ve looked up to my entire life, and best of all we are able to share it with all those who attend the Shine Girl Summit this year.
My Shine Girl journey has been anything but ordinary, and has shaped me into the person I am today. That’s always my hope for Shine Girl, is that whether it’s through a blog post, a middle school summer camp, a high school club, or one day out of the whole year spent with a community of women, that it touches people and makes a shift in them to empower others.