Luther Hodges Scholars provides professional development funding (“Exploratory Funds”) for experiences that enhance our development as future business leaders. We were able to use a portion of our funds to attend the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Our experience provided us with the opportunity to network with other women in business from small startups to large corporations.
WBENC “provides the gold standard certification for women-owned businesses, and the professional development, tools and resources to help them succeed.” The conference allowed for women in business to network with each other and make connections with many companies and sponsors such as Amazon, Google, EY, UPS, and Coke. For more information about WBNEC and the 2024 conference, click here.
We attended several expo events and networking opportunities to learn from small startups and work with large corporations. Overall, we were inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of these women-owned businesses. These leaders were creative, persistent, and ambitious. We are truly reminded of the importance of good goals and strong networks.
We are grateful for the support of Luther Hodges Scholars and for the program’s commitment to providing students with impactful experiences related to personal and professional interests.