Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) office of Alumni Engagement welcomed back three prestigious alumnae on March 28 to share their perspectives as distinguished women leaders and facilitate impactful conversations for women’s professional and personal growth.
Under the theme of “Unleashing Empowerment,” alumnae Constance Adams, Linda Nethery and Sandra Patino reflected on their PNW education, professional careers and the unique challenges different women face in blazing their own trails not only for themselves, but for the women leaders to follow them.
The event’s subtheme was “Stepping Out of the Box,” an allusion to storyline elements from the 2023 critically acclaimed Barbie film encouraging women to confidently pursue the career choices and personal interests that fulfill them. Each of the alumnae, who have experienced professional success in fields from health care to finance, helped answer how they countered both the overt and subtle barriers that disadvantage women.
“If you are seated at the table, always remember you earned the right to sit at that table,” said Adams. Adams earned all her associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from PNW. She is the director of Population Health at Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
Katie Holderby, director of Alumni Engagement, moderated the panel and helped guide a conversation that elicited advice on topics such as lifelong learning, overcoming stereotypes, feeling comfortable in your own skin and supporting your individual journey. The panelists additionally cited how a PNW education significantly impacted their career mobility.
“Every step through my journey, my Purdue Northwest experience has moved me forward,” said Nethery. Nethery is a Managing Partner with Connected Captive Solutions, LLC, a company under BRB Group, Inc., a national insurance distribution firm.
“We want to stress the importance of the power of sending positive messages to our students,” said Holderby. “We want to make sure they understand that not all career paths are a straight line and there are always twists and turns. I feel that our alumni are able to share those experiences to encourage people to bravely and confidently Power Onward.”
The panel also opened to questions from audience members. PNW campus community members, other alumni and members of the public posed questions that touched on advice for their own personal journeys and their shared experiences as women.
"Unleashing Empowerment” served as the finale for PNW’s lineup of Women’s History Month events. The month included other events that also addressed women’s leadership, as well as women’s impacts in history and women’s health issues.
For more information about Women’s History Month celebrations at PNW, visit pnw.edu/womens-history.
