First Posted: 3/2/2015
LIMA — In 2009-10, women earned the majority of academic degrees on all levels.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics report, about 60 percent of graduates earning an associate’s degree and 58 percent earning a bachelor’s degree were women.
Before the Women’s Rights Convention in 1848, women were not allowed to attend college or earn such an achievement. Over time, the number of women in higher education has varied.
To celebrate the advancement of women’s rights and empowerment in honor of Women’s History Month, Ohio State University Lima held a luncheon yesterday to highlight women in the community who are helping empower other women.
“These kinds of events allow us to take a minute to think about where we are and where our future is,” said Charlene Gilbert, dean and director at OSU-Lima. “It’s important to remember where we came from and where we’re going.”
The event featured other “she-roes” including Sharon L. Guice, a diversity council member at the college; Sharon Little, a motivational and conference speaker; Dorothy Lovell Jones, OSU’s interim diversity program coordinator, Ty Batemon from WLIO, Jennifer Keat-Beck from WTLW; Beverly Owens McCoy, a retired educator, and Dr. Adriane Thompson-Bradshaw, the vice president of student affairs at Ohio Northern University.
Each speaker shared their own interpretation of women empowerment and rights; encouraging younger generations to persevere, remain confident and make a difference.
“Success means nothing if you don’t do something to help someone else along the way,” Batemon said.
Jones shared an original poem, “Unsung She-roes,” referring to the number of honorable qualities and the impact powerful and service-oriented women have on society.
“She works her fingers to the bone,” she said. “Because she realizes there’s still so much work to be done.”
Ending the event, Little encouraged attendees to “leave with inspiration” and “dream big.”
