Menu
Community Liaison: Girls Inc of Orange County: Visit girlsinc-oc.org
Letter of Recommendation Template Provided by Dr. Gergens: Google Docs
Link to Tangent Zine: OUR TANGENTS | TANGENT (tangentzine.com) by Editor-in-Chief Katareena Roska
"7 in 10 girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with family and friends."
The Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders Conference seeks to educate, empower, and inspire the attendees about leadership, self-esteem and self-confidence and how this links to the development of strong leadership skills in girls aged 11 to 21. This will be accomplished through real-life experiences and tools that attendees can utilize to address these areas.
Self-esteem and self-confidence are important factors in the development of leadership skills, as without them, opportunities to grow can and will be lost. This loss of opportunities negatively impacts what girls and young women can achieve in both their professional and personal lives. With women not able to fully participate in the working world, productivity is also lost. Therefore, this is a loss not only to the women, but to our overall working environment as well.
The adult and youth panels will discuss the elements of leadership, overcoming challenges, being more open and speaking up, and being confident in their abilities and in leadership roles without experiencing imposter syndrome. Conference Founder and Director, Mayanjali Bodla states, “My hope is that my conference will inspire the participants to change their mindset regarding leadership and themselves and work from there onwards to become more self-confident.”
Ms. Bodla continues, “By providing the attendees with the knowledge and tools they need to become more confident in leadership, by using the experiences of other women and girls who have grown as leaders and who have become more confident in themselves, I hope that the attendees will feel inspired and empowered by the stories of others. I hope that they will strive for more opportunities so they become more confident within themselves. For example, something as simple as raising their hand in class or offering to head up a group project. And it is my hope that they will grow into strong, confident, and empowered individuals.”
Click each panel to expand information and speaker bios.
Dr. Bridget Gergens has over 35 years’ experience in the California education system. With a Social Science BA from UCI and Teaching Credential from Cal State Fullerton, she began her teaching career in the Savannah School District. After moving to the Long Beach Unified School District, she worked as a Math Specialist, Language Specialist, Site Facilitator, Special Needs Intervention Coach, Grant Writer, Mentor Teacher, Math Department Head, Vice Principal, and Summer School Principal, across elementary and middle school levels. While working in Long Beach, she earned a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from CSU Long Beach, an Early Education Credential from UCLA, and a Doctorate from USC in Educational Leadership. At age 30 she shifted gears to start a family. Since then, she has been a Preschool Director, Preschool Board Member, and an Adjunct Professor at Cal State Long Beach, Vanguard University, and Golden West College. She has vast knowledge and experience in mentoring and leadership at every level of education. She is an advisor for many clubs on campus as well as meets with her students throughout the year to coach and guide them into their career paths. Her focus throughout her career has been to mentor women into leadership roles. Present extra-education activities include Girl Scout Leader for two different Troops, Mesa Verde Cotillion General Chair, Board Member of the Green Valley Swim Team, Advisor for the Future Teacher Club at Golden West College and Bolsa Grande High School, Fountain Valley High School Parent Representative for District Strategic Planning Committee and WASC. Finally, I continue to mentor 20+ former graduates from Golden West college.
Dr. Sangeeta R. Gupta is the president and lead consultant for Gupta Consulting Group.
Dr. Gupta is a globally recognized expert with more than 25 years of experience in Gender, Cultural Competency, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Race & Ethnicity, and Unconscious Bias. Dr. Gupta is a trusted advisor to C-level executives helping them create a more inclusive, equitable, and productive work environment.
Dr. Gupta works with organizations to define and create a holistic Cultural Competency and DEI strategy and implementation plan with impactful and actionable steps. She is a highly sought-after speaker and has published extensively in the area of Gender, Cultural Competency and DEI including a series of children's books.
Linda Rudolph, currently the HR Director for a pharmaceutical organization in Southern California, has held HR leadership roles in technology, manufacturing and life sciences industries. A creative and collaborative leader, she is passionate about fostering a culture based on organization values that empowers and supports employees.
In her previous roles as HR Leader, Linda has created the HR infrastructure, developed and implemented HR strategy for privately-held and public organization to achieve business results. She has leveraged her HR expertise to enhance the talent acquisition and employee development initiatives, reduced turnover and overhauled the performance management practices to increase employee engagement and support organizational goals. Linda has facilitated numerous training programs on topics such as performance management, behavioral interviewing and delivering effective feedback.
For the past 15 years, Linda has served as a faculty member in the School of Business and Economics at Concordia University Irvine and has also taught in the Business Management graduate program California State University, Los Angeles.
Linda volunteers as a coach and mentor for Youth Employment services, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting teens and young adults with interviewing and job search skills. She also volunteers with the Orange County chapter of CHADD (Children and Adult with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), supporting parents of children affected by ADHD.
A fitness enthusiast, she enjoys hiking, cycling and enjoying the Southern California beaches.
Ms. Bodla graduated from Fountain Valley High School with Honors, Seal of Biliteracy, Artistic Literacy Cord, and Performing Arts Cord. She earned her Eagle Scout rank in 2022, becoming the first female Eagle Scout in her troop. She has studied Kathak, classical Indian dance, has a black belt in Shotokan Karate, plays the alto sax and served as the section leader for the Fountain Valley Royal Regiment Marching Band. She was selected to represent Fountain Valley High School at Boys and Girls State in 2023, the first year that girls were admitted to the prestigious program. She is also the co-author of Maya and Rajan’s Rainbow of Friends and Maya and Rajan go to North India, children’s books focusing on diversity and inclusion from a child’s perspective and being bi-cultural.
Katareena Roska is the editor-in-chief and founder of youth-led online publication Tangent Zine. Formed in response to the lack of a publication at her high school, Tangent Zine has been able to professionally report on major sports leagues like MLB, NBA, NWSL, MLS, and the USWNT. Tangent has also been able to cover Greta Gerwig, Kid Cudi, Megan Rapinoe, Judd Apatow, Matthew Broderick, Kieran Culkin, Jesse Eisenberg, Billy Crystal, and Robert De Niro. Roska hopes to revive journalism and make it more accessible by encouraging Generation Z to “Go on a Tangent” about the things they love most. When she’s not writing like she’s running out of time, Roska enjoys punching her troubles away through boxing, watching pretentious arthouse films, and DIY-ing everything she can. Roska will be attending Northwestern University this fall, majoring in journalism and political science and minoring in film on a pre-law track.
Ann Albumalalah is an incoming college freshman! She’s a dedicated youth advocacy student with a passion for empowering young people and driving social change. Through internships with local non-profits and leadership roles in student organizations, Ann has honed skills in policy analysis, program development, and grassroots activism. In addition to these pursuits, during her free time, Ann loves spending time with her family & friends, writing poetry, ceramics, and spending time outdoors.
Copyright 2024 Gupta Consulting Group. All Rights Reserved.