Two years ago, when we were sophomores, we walked into a room with a dozen of our female classmates and became part of something that was way bigger than we could have ever imagined. Inspired by Maria Shriver's Women's Conference, we joined the Executive Committee for the inaugural "It's Our Turn: Young Women's Conference at Brentwood School," and, in doing so, we joined a movement to empower, encourage, and support young women everywhere.
The success of the last Conference, held on February 4, 2012, was astounding. We heard about the importance of believing in ourselves and pursuing our dreams from Mary J. Blige, we were empowered by the wise words of Maria Shriver, and we were moved to tears by spoken word artist Azure Antoinette. The buzz following the Conference remained all around us for months and made a significant difference in our community that we could all truly see and feel.
Since then, we have been involved in supporting this cause through our own girl empowerment group at Brentwood School called Girl Impact. We have met continuously to keep an ongoing open conversation about issues pertaining to women in our community and around the world. We have attended multiple conferences around the LA area, while also hosting events and screenings on campus. We are so excited to continue spreading this message through the second It's Our Turn: Young Women's Conference at Brentwood School on February 8.
This year, over 90 public and private schools from across Los Angeles will be represented at the Conference, with roughly 1,000 attendees coming to our campus. We will also welcome students from several organizations that support and empower young women throughout Southern California, such as ImpactLA, Step Up, Destined to Succeed, Teen Line, and Spark.
As young women of this generation, we believe that we can continue the work that others before us have started and lead the world into a better time in which full equality is guaranteed for both genders. It's our turn to pursue our dreams without limits. It's our turn to be confident in who we want to be. But most of all, it's our turn to allow ourselves to discover who that person is.
At this year's conference, we hope that all participants will learn something about themselves that will change and broaden his or her perspective in a positive and uplifting way. We are determined to create a new conversation about the way women are perceived and treated in our society, as well as about how girls view themselves. We have all wished at some point or another in our lives that we were someone different--prettier, more successful, more confident, or even happier. We have convinced ourselves that we are not good enough and will never be good enough for ourselves and for the world. We have believed these lies for long enough, and now it's our turn to change that.