Meet The Changemakers: Speaker Series
*The event has already taken place on this date: Thu, 05/13/2021
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All events will be held virtually via Zoom. Zoom links will be sent to attendees following registration.
Michelle Schenandoah
Wednesday, May 5 | 7pm
Haudenosaunee Women: Roles and Inherent Authority
From Creation to modern times, listeners will learn about the lineage of women central to the Haudenosaunee cosmology, worldview, and governance. Haudenosaunee women are central to the well-being and decision-making processes among the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. As matrilineal and matri-focal nations, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy is the oldest continuous democracy in the world. Having influenced the Founding Fathers of the U.S. Constitution and the Founding Mothers of the Suffrage Movement, the Haudenosaunee continue to live and function under democratic principles grounded in principles of peace, forgiveness, and unconditional love for over 1,000 years.
Mimi Lee
Tuesday, May 11 | 7pm
From the Pearl to the Big Apple to the ROC: A Mother’s Legacy of Love and Perseverance, to Build Bridges, to Make a Difference, to Forge New Paths, and Continue to Rise.
Mimi’s a Changemaker because of the inspiration of her mother and all those who came along to push, prod, prune, encourage, inspire, and mold this clump of clay. After a childhood trauma, she was determined to understand why people did what they did, to create new perspectives and thinking, and to move from asking "why" to asking "why not?". Not taking no for the final answer, she found creative ways in which things can get done. It just requires rolling up one’s sleeve and thinking beyond the box into the realm of possibilities.
Through stories, some comical, she will share highlights of what shaped her, how things really happened, and how the law of unintended consequences can be a good thing. Just by asking a question, she got to start an employee affinity resource group, a new scholarship award committee, curate an exhibit, produce a documentary, introduce a lion dance troupe to start the American Heart Walk, put all kinds of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) dances on Frontier Field, and many more. These stories will highlight the growth of the AAPI community in the last four decades and the efforts to make the community more visible and part of the tapestry of the Greater Rochester community.
Alexis Vogt
Thursday, May 13 | 7pm
Raising the Bar While Raising Kids: Increasing Diversity in Optics Careers
Learn how Alexis Vogt, PhD, Endowed Chair & Professor of Optics at Monroe Community College, is breaking boundaries in the optics and photonics industry and creating pathways for young people to thrive in the field. Alexis will share her experiences raising three young children while working full-time to lead the world’s oldest optics technician training program. She will also detail her efforts to overcome barriers and encourage more diverse candidates to pursue careers in optics and photonics by sharing her own successes and struggles.
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.