UTPB students, staff bolster West Texas Women Symposium

Odessa American, Texas
·2 min read

Oct. 23—The University of Texas Permian Basin enabled more than three dozen students and staff members to participate in the second annual West Texas Women Professional Symposium, and one of its vice presidents was an invited speaker at the event.

UT Permian Basin's Shepperd Leadership Institute and Student Government Association gave registration scholarships for more than a dozen students to take part in the day-long professional development on Thursday. The WTX Women Symposium included sessions on leadership, work/life balance and more.

"Hearing the stories of many successful, strong women and how they got to their positions really relieved my anxieties and encouraged me to push harder in life," said Emily Lopez, a UTPB sophomore and biology major, who took part in the event. "I want to continue down a path where I can stand tall, not alone, but with other amazing women, knowing that I deserve the position I'm in."

More than 24 UTPB staff members also attended the professional development.

On top of attendee participation, UT Permian Basin's very own, Becky Spurlock served as a featured speaker. Dr. Spurlock, The Senior VP of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, shared "Guiding Principles for Transformative Partnerships."

She was one of a handful of invited speakers for the event. Dr. Spurlock detailed her six guidelines for establishing, maintaining, and ensuring long-term transformative partnerships.

"The first guiding principle is: 'it starts with you, but it's not about you,' demonstrating that commitment to self-awareness and service to others is where the journey begins," Dr. Becky Spurlock explained. "Service to others — particularly professional women and students — is a fundamental value to me and serving our West Texas region is a core value of our University. I was honored to help serve our region with this professional development, and to connect with professional West Texas women and pour into students on a personal level."

WTX Women was put on by the Midland Chamber of Commerce and held at the Bush Convention Center, with The University of Texas Permian Basin and the Shepperd Leadership Institute both sponsoring the event.