ROSES spring women’s forum focuses on networking, building relationships

The Houston Independent School District’s Resilient Outstanding
Sisters Exemplifying Success (ROSES) project on Thursday hosted
its spring professional women’s forum to discuss how strong
communication and effective networking skills can shape a young woman’s
life.   

The forum, which was titled “The secrets to building meaningful
relationships”, was held at Kashmere High School and was moderated
by ABC 13 Houston Anchor Erica Simon. Panelists included leaders
in criminal justice, immigration reform, community affairs, as well as a
student panelist from Navarro Middle School. 

Throughout the evening they discussed the impact that communication
can have on the different relationships in a young woman’s life,
especially the importance of respect in any level of relationship. 

“I believe a relationship involves reciprocity where there is a give
and take, there is a back and forth between two individuals,” panelist
and Branch Director for the Harris County Community Supervision
and Corrections Department said. “Be it a friendship, work relationship
or intimate relationship there needs to be some type of reciprocity in
growing together and learning together.” 

Simon, who recently signed up to be a ROSES mentor, talked openly
about how networking helped her launch her career in Dallas and the
importance of maintaining cultivated relationships. 

“Don’t always just call someone when you need something,” she told
the audience. “There will come a time that you will have relationships
that will be separated by time and distance but if you can remember to
maintain it when the time comes for something favorable to happen it
will.” 

D’Anna Wade, Community Affairs Manager at Schlumberger, reminded the
audience that networking is an extension of yourself and how essential
it is to be authentic. 

“Think about who you are down to the core – your personality and how
you want to express that,” she said. “This is the time to embrace
yourself fully and then the world will embrace you fully.” 

ROSES, which is the sister program of Ascending to Men (ATM), will
hold its next professional women’s forum in Spring 2020. For more
information on how to support ROSES, which seeks to provide positive
role models and advocates for underserved young women in the district,
visit Houstonisd.org/ROSES. http://Houstonisd.org/ROSES