Be you. Know you. Love you.

This weekend I had the wonderful privilege of joining the Young Black Women's Society (YBWS) for their Next Generation Women of Color Summit. From the moment I walked into the Conference Center at Simmons College in Boston I was greeted by warm smiles and friendly faces, the combination of the two made the room full of strangers feel like a room full of sisters!

The day was packed with excellent speakers, wonderful sessions and an abundant amount time to network. The guest speakers humble, transparent and encouraging. Throughout the course of the day we, as attendees, were encouraged to be ourselves, to invest in ourselves and to invest in each other. We were reminded that we need each others and that as we succeed and excel, part of our duty is to lift our sisters up along with us.

Not only were we encouraged professionally but we were also encouraged spiritually. As I sit here reflecting, I am reminded of one of the sessions that I attended titled "Nurturing Your Spirit". Our speakers for the session were Dr. Bernadine Nash-McClam and Vannessa V. Lewis and one of the great things that we learned was that personal development is key to professional success. Sometimes we focus so much on our professional careers that we lose sight of who we are and we suffer personally. We were encouraged throughout the session to really take the time to nurture our spirit and to take care of ourselves. How do you nurture your spirit? One way is to consciously quiet the noise around you. Your internal voice needs to be louder than the voices outside of you. Having the courage to face your fears and to strive to reach for your dreams is another important way to nurture your spirit. Recognize that fear is a feeling and you are much stronger than you think!

Be you. Know you. Love you.

Many businesses were represented in the room and I had the wonderful privilege to sit down with Bithyah Israel, the founder of City Strings. City Strings is a stringed instrument learning program that is offered to youth in the inner city of Boston. All too often our youth miss great opportunities to participate in programs such as this because of the lack of financial resources but I was overjoyed to learn that City Strings is offered at no charge. At City Strings, students are taught how to play the cello, read music, collaborate with other musicians, and perform in a public setting. Find out more about the program and learn how you support City Strings!

There is so much more that I can share but I hope that I have peaked your interest in joining or supporting the Young Black Women's Society!