(Entertainment-NewsWire.com, February 11, 2019 ) The OWN IT student-run female empowerment organization held its 2018 annual summit at the University of Southern California’s Bovard Auditorium. The event featured over 100 speakers, including “Friends” actress Lisa Kudrow and six-time Olympian medalist and Trojan alumna Rebecca Soni.
Throughout the summit, OWN IT’s mission was to connect female students to the successful women they look up to, according to their website. The summit included three main panels as well as breakout sessions with smaller workshops for over 500 attendees.
The event began with a welcome address by President C. L. Max Nikias, and a speech by U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu, who represents California’s 27th District. Chu talked about her experience as the first Chinese American woman elected to the United States Congress, and the importance of strong mentors to her success.
One of the panels was “Entertaining Change,” which featured Kudrow, CBS Executive Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i and stand-up comedian and actress Yvonne Orji. The panel touched upon the #MeToo movement and its implications for future generations of women. Kudrow spoke about changing the world’s mindset on sexual harassment to one of positive growth rather than punishment.
“The only thing that makes me nervous is if there’s too much hatred and recrimination,” Kudrow said. “ Because there are, I think, mostly decent men. They just need the cultural support to behave decently … It’s about encouragement instead of criminalization.”
Another panel featured five female Olympians who graduated from USC, including volleyball players April Ross and Nicole Davis and swimmer Rebecca Soni. The panel was moderated by ESPN reporter and Annenberg adjunct professor Shelley Smith.
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