Margaret Contreras
Editor-in-Chief
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Campus Activities Board held a Women on the Rise event Wednesday on the Citrus Lawn.
Associate Vice President of Finance Xochitl Martinez and Chaplain Zandra Wagoner were the speakers.
Students lined up between The Spot and the Campus Center before the event was opened for guests. About 50 in all attended the event.
Junior kinesiology Jasmine Armas served pan dulce.
“I like being a part of the community to put on something fun,” Armas said. “The nice weather was a nice surprise.”
The decorations, including pink and red tablecloths, were festive.
Specialty drinks provided by One and Only Coffee Bar included strawberry matcha, mazapan latte, tres leches latte and more. Pan dulces, called conchas, which were pink and purple, the colors of the event.
“The vibe is great,” freshmen e-commerce major Justine Prajitno said. “I love the colors they chose. I also love the coffee flavors. I love the matcha and coffee taste, it’s so cool that they have them here.”
Along the side of Citrus Lawn there was a table where students were able to pick up a free pillow. The design on the light green pillow was a side profile drawing of a woman outlined with flowers and its stems. It contained words used to describe a woman such as strong, vibrant, beautiful, powerful, a queen and ambitious written on it.
There was another table allowing students to create their own bracelets. There were multi-colored strings that ranged from red, white, black or dark blue. Alongside the strings there were different sizes and colors of beads to decorate, some colors were vibrant, such as red, blue, yellow, purple and green. Other beads were more softer purple, reds and blues. There were even small charms that were offered to place on the bracelets.
Martinez was the first speaker. She talked about her experience in an immigrant family as a first-generation college student. She said as a woman of color it’s important to be career focused – and to have work-life balance.
“Embrace your uniqueness… the source of your strength,” Martinez said. “Leadership takes many forms… It’s about influence and impact.”
After Martinez’s speech, Wagoner took the podium. She talked about the importance of finding hope in the community. She emphasized the importance of having and following your “heart dreams.”
“I waited until I was 57 to explore a heart dream,” Wagoner said. “Hopefulness and heart dreams are what fuel us.”
Wagoner said she found a community of hope at an Angel City FC game that she went to with her partner. The Angel City Football Club is a professional women’s soccer team based in Los Angeles, which is part of the National Women’s Soccer League.
“Hope is a communal effort,” Wagoner said. “I happen to find my village on Sunday at an Angel City game.”
Margaret Contreras can be reached at margaret.contreras@laverne.edu.
Magaret Contreras is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is editorial director and LV Life editor of the Campus Times and previously worked as editor-in-chief and a staff writer.
Jai'la Counts is a freshman communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine.
