Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristina Costa.
Cristina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Women with Purpose was founded in 2014 by Kettianne Cadet, an international affairs professional with a passion for traveling and connecting people of all cultures. Currently, Kettianne is a full-time MBA student at one of the top schools in the country– Ross School of Business in Michigan.
In 2014, Kettianne was very involved in the professional scene around Boston. Often the only woman and woman of color in the room, Kettianne was motivated to create a forum for women to seek opportunities, skills and resources to help advance women in their professional careers. She attended many networking events in the area and noticed a serious lack of diversity not only in the attendees but also in the representation of the female panelists. Kettianne decided she would create an empowering space for women of color to not only obtain the professional development skills to succeed but also to further empower these women by featuring women of color in high ranking positions.
I first joined the Women with Purpose seminar as an attendee back in 2015. Kettianne was a good friend of mine from attending Boston College together. At the seminar, I met so many successful, passionate and empowered women that I instantly became inspired to join the mission of this organization. I began by volunteering and later was invited to join the Women with Purpose Committee. I was in charge of Marketing and Brand Management.
At first, we had 5 members on the committee but last year three of our members, including Kettianne moved out of the state and Jessica Pires and I decided to keep the organization alive and going since we witnessed how much value it brought to the women who attended. As of 2017, Women with Purpose has been spearheaded by myself and Jessica.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
At the beginning of the journey, it was difficult to find influential women of color to speak at our events (for free) since we are a grassroots organization and cannot afford to pay our speakers. At the beginning, these women did not see the value in the organization since it was starting from scratch and we were still building our brand and attendees. At the beginning, we also struggled finding the right location for our seminars. Luckily through mutual connections and luck, we were able to secure a partnership with Suffolk University and they have provided the beautiful space for our seminars for the past 3 years.
Women with Purpose – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Women with Purpose (https://www.bwomenwithpurpose.com/) is an organization whose primary goal is to empower and unite women of color in the greater Boston area through a series of Professional Development seminars. The program, which takes place over a series of three consecutive months in the spring and now the fall, convenes women who are movers and shakers in the community to meet, discuss and learn about a variety of topics which vary from but are not limited to personal branding, negotiation, networking tactics and financial literacy.
We are most proud of uniting and empowering women of color of ALL backgrounds. We pride ourselves in being able to provide crucial resources and information to these women, that they may not have been able to find elsewhere. Women with Purpose is a very special space where we spread love, positivity and female empowerment. What sets us apart from other organizations for women of color, especially in the Boston area, is that we really aim to provide speakers (influencers) of ALL backgrounds, ethnicities, industries and we are extremely diverse. Our diversity is what sets us apart and creates a welcoming space FOR ALL women.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as empowerment. When I can inspire other women to reach their full potential and show them the resources for succeeding, this defines success for Women with Purpose. Our members have gone onto create their own organizations, businesses, financial goals/milestones and have thrived from the networks created at our events.
We have also been in the works to partner with other women’s’ organizations such as the RISE Leadership Conference, Queens Company and Beautiful Bold Women.
Pricing:
- Each seminar is $25
- Networking events are free
- Women with Purpose t-shirts are $10
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bwomenwithpurpose.com/
- Email: bostonwomenwithpurpose@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwomen_with_purpose/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Womenwithpurposeboston/
Image Credit:
Steve Osemwenkhae (http://www.nomakeupseries.com/)
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