While the annual MAN-UP Conference was getting into gear at the University of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas, schools across the island were also giving their female students a chance to learn life and job skills from local professionals.
Addelita Cancryn Junior High School was one of the first schools to popularize its "For Girls Only" Conference and the event kicked off Tuesday with an introduction from featured speaker Lois Hassell-Habtes, principal of E. Benjamin Oliver Elementary, who talked about the importance of preserving local culture.
Hassell-Habtes set the tone for the day by also speaking about the importance of getting a good education and working within the community to give back.
Breakout sessions with everyone from fitness professionals to human resources directors followed, but most speakers also hit the same notes as Hassell-Habtes: they talked to the students about following their dreams, pursuing their education, and becoming independent and successful. 
In one classroom, Pam Schaard, Innovative’s senior vice-president of Human Resources, told students about her life growing up in Germany, how she worked menial jobs to help put herself through college and how she climbed up the chain after earning two college degrees and setting high goals for herself.
Innovative sponsored Cancryn’s conference, and Schaard said the company’s efforts to give back could soon include bringing on students for internships and other career opportunities.
Breaking down community stereotypes and barriers was also a theme Tuesday. In another classroom, Cira Burke, the Education Department’s director of intervention services, worked with a group of English Language Learners – many of whom said they had been bullied because they were born off-island instead of in the territory.
Burke, who was born in Santo Domingo, said she has encountered similar experiences throughout her career here.
"This is about breaking down barriers," she told the students after they spoke. "When people talk nasty to me, I just say, ‘God bless you,’ or I smile. People may think I’m crazy or they smile back – either way, I’ve won."
Burke said later in the day – which focused on getting students exposed to professionals in the arts field – that the real message she tried to get across is that no matter what career path you choose, a student will be successful if they know who they are, have an idea of how to achieve their goals and have a good attitude.
"You have at least 10 career choices before you find what you want to do," she said. "In my experience, while I started out as a teacher, I had the opportunity to do different things before I got to where I am – but I also said that it was a solid education that got me here.”
“And it doesn’t matter if we come from, different countries or parts of the world, you just can’t respond to what people call or say about you,” she continued. “In many communities people tend to place labels based on places of origin, but it doesn’t matter where you come from, we all have to treat each other with respect."
Cancryn language arts teacher Teejah Daley said that the sessions helped to teach students about having more confidence and building their self-esteem. Daley’s students got to work with certified makeup artist Jeanelle Forbes Tuesday morning, and Daley said that it was not just about giving them grooming tips – it was about teaching the students to take care of themselves and appreciate their natural beauty.
"We’re teaching the students about everything from hygiene to music, and really it is just about giving them a chance to build their self-esteem by working with other females, professionals that they can look up to as role models," Daley said. "They can think about whether they want to walk the same path or do something else, but either way, it makes them aware of all the possibilities before them."
