*Headline photo: Reporters Syann Hollins and Darianna Browning pose with Genise Shelton, author, foundation founder, mother, and media personality of Bravo!’s “Married to Medicine,” reality series.

*On March 2, Explorers were invited to serve as the official youth media team for the 2nd annual Cultivating Women Leaders Conference at Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan. The focus of the conference was to inspire women to thrive, dream, and support one another in their careers through the eight Athena principles: living authentically, learning constantly, advocating fiercely, acting courageously, fostering collaboration, building relationships, giving back and celebrating. Most exciting, Explorers interviewed Martha Mayhood Mertz, the founder of Athena International. 

*Sierra Ward and Lydia Johnson served as photographer, videographers, and video producers. Darianna Browning and Syann Hollins served as the interview team.

Girls Can Lead! 
by Darianna Browning and Syann Hollins

OLIVET (MICHIGAN)– “A lot of our black and brown children go missing in this country and it’s being treated as an afterthought”. This is what the creator  of Our Children’s Keeper Foundation, Genise Shelton, stated about the young African American children in our society who are lost to trafficking. Shelton shared her passion for what she does and how she manages so many careers while raising a family. She was one of the many influential women we interviewed at the Cultivating Women Leaders conference on March 2, at Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan.

Genise Shelton
Shelton is a wife and mother of six children. In addition to her work as an onscreen personality, she is a model, actress, owner of a bikini and apparel company, and she looking forward to practicing law. The Olivet College alumna tells Explorers that, in all she does, the most important is to maintain a healthy lifestyle by working out and eating healthy.

Hon. Judge Denise Page Hood
Hon. Judge Denise Page Hood is a judge for the U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan. She was nominated by former president Bill Clinton in 1994. As a little girl she wanted to be a school teacher, and often played school with her friends.  She later became a judge through the urging of her husband and father-in-law. Judge Hood told us that her mother and father were a big part of her life, as well as people in her community who helped her campaign.  Judge Hood shared with us that, even though she is well known as a judge, she still has dreams to be a famous writer because,  “It’s a way to get your words out in what you believe in, and what you have experienced”.

Karen Preston
“I have traveled all around the world and lived in Banglore, India for 18 months. But I came back to Michigan so I could see my family more.” Karen Preston is a global leader in the area of Human Resources has been in Human Resources for the past 35 years. She has worked for such Fortune 500 Companies as Kellogg’s, Amazon, and General Electric, to name a few. Preston stated that even though she loved India, she had to come back and be more involved in her family. She said, even though someone might be busy, you should still be active in your family. She told us how important it is to get advice and views of other people, and how she still has to work on that, even as an experienced human resources leader.

Preston said that she didn’t always want to be a HR leader, but when someone told her she would be good at it, she took a chance. She said, many people have misconceptions of what a human resources manager does.

“People expect you to solve their problems, and that everything you do has to make everyone happy. But that’s not always going to be the case,” Preston said. “My job is to help people find the solution, even if it may not be one they want or like.”

After the cameras stopped, Preston shared an amazing fact about her. The University of Michigan graduate was inducted into the  Women’s Track and Field Hall of Fame of her alma mater. She join the university’s first women’s track team in 1978.

“When we were students, she received a band jacket as our varsity jacket, Preston remembered. “When we were recently inducted, we received a “real” varsity jacket.”

The women interviewed during the conference encouraged young girls to be professional, believe in themselves, and stand up for their rights. Most importantly, all women, lived out one of more of the ATHENA principals of: living authentically, learning constantly, advocating fiercely, acting courageously, fostering collaboration, building relationships, giving back and celebrating.

Martha Mayhood Mertz founded ATHENA International to train and celebrate women who make a difference. She started this because of the lack of attention and mentorship for women in jobs surrounded by men. Mertz said, ATHENA International didn’t start out with an international  focus, but just a small foundation to recognize women. Her leadership model is being used at Olivet College, and has earned her many of awards for giving women the tools to change their lives.

To rap us this amazing day around all of these inspiring women  Martha Mayhood Mertz was asked what inspired her most and she said “ You inspire me” referring to the next generation of women. This event has opened our minds up to an amazing experience and is something that we will never forget. It has allowed us to see what other women are going though and how they handled it. Also giving us information about how we could deal with certain situations.