An intensive one-day women’s leadership conference has turned into a semester-long series of female alumni speakers to empower, educate and inspire women at Binghamton University for life beyond the classroom.

This past Thursday was the kickoff program with alumna Christina Muscatello, who graduated in 2008 with a degree in history. Muscatello is the co-founder and program coordinator of the Memory Maker Project, a Binghamton charity that works for advocacy programs and art therapy for those suffering from memory-loss diseases. She hosted a workshop that encouraged students to think about their passions, hobbies, interests, strengths and weaknesses in order to find career directions they may not have previously considered.

The Alumni Association started the program last spring as a conference that consisted of a networking lunch, a keynote alumni speaker and three sessions of two programs. The program ended with a networking reception filled with local alumni and roughly 40 students.

Now, the program includes two to three sessions each month, in the form of either a speaker with 50 students, a workshop for 20 students or a brown bag lunch for 10-12 students. Students can complete the enrollment form and bring it with them to the first session they attend. According to the assistant director of alumni engagement, Courtney Huff, the target audience is those who identify as women, but no students are turned away.

Muscatello’s workshop centered around “personal asset mapping,” in which students discussed their strengths, hobbies, weaknesses and passions. This helped them think about career paths they may not have considered in order to touch on their passions.

Huff said that when her team evaluated the initial program, she saw potential for it to expand to be longer than one day and to accommodate more students. She said that the mission for the program is to educate and prepare students for life in both the classroom and in the workforce, and to help them realize their strengths as women in order to help encourage diversity and advocacy in the workplace.

“I really hope our students gain an understanding and appreciation for connections with our alumni, and that someday the students want to reciprocate and give back once they become successful and accomplished alumni themselves,” Huff said. “I think the term networking is sometimes a scary term to students and they’re not sure what to expect, but these are small, intimate, focused programs so I think that makes networking much more accessible.”

Jazell Johnson, the assistant director of case management services and budgeting, said she values the women’s leadership series because, as a woman, she appreciates the opportunity to mentor and be mentored by great women.

“In particular, as a woman of color, I believe it is really important for students of color to see women who look like them in a positive light and have an opportunity to connect with them, share experiences and learn to overcome personal institutional obstacles,” Johnson wrote in an email.

Brianna Nelson, a senior majoring in biology, said she went to Thursday’s talk to build her leadership and communication skills and meet new students and faculty members. She said that these talks are a great resource for students to get valuable advice and ask questions.

“Her story made me realize that it’s not the end of the world if your life isn’t completely figured out by the time you graduate college,” Nelson said. “Finding a career path that speaks to your interests and passions is what is important.”

The next luncheon will be held on February 26 with alumna Andrea Roma, ’05, M.S. ‘14. She will be talking about switching career choices and heading in different directions within a major.