HAVERFORD, Pa. – Haverford College women's soccer sophomore Julie Hanss had the opportunity to attend to the SheBelieves Summit in New York over the weekend as a part of the SheBelieves Cup which was won by the United States Women's National Soccer team over England in the championship match. The cup also featured France and Germany during the week-long event.

The 2018 SheBelieves Summit was a day-long event held on March 3 that celebrated opportunity, empowered attendees and equipped young women with the inspiration, tools and connections to pursue and accomplish their goals - in life, in school, on fields and in their future careers. The event featured notable female speakers representing sports, entertainment and business who will share their personal and professional insights for greatness.

"I was really interested in attending the SheBelieves Summit because, well for one I am a huge fan of the US Women's National team and I want to be involved in their program in any way possible," said Hanss. "The idea of having all of these really strong, empowered women in the same room, guiding and teaching young women, was really intriguing. Putting sports aside, many women are in male-dominated workplaces, and I saw this conference as a great opportunity to learn how to navigate that and gain some new strategies and knowledge about how to use my own voice in these situations."

During her time at the summit, Hanss got to meet several former members of the women's national team, including Julie Foudy and Kristine Lilly, who she is pictured above with. However, those were just several of the memorable moments from the event.

"Two of my favorite quotes from the summit were: 'Do one thing every day that makes you scared...if you're trying something new and you're confident, you did it too late' (Julie Foudy) and 'when you're moving up, take that step, then turn around and lend a hand to the woman behind you.' (Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall)."

"Julie Foudy's speech was amazing, and that quote was one of the things I will hold on to. I, along with so many people, are so scared to try something new. There is always a stigma of getting it wrong and looking like a fool. But throughout Foudy's speech, it really became clear that external judgment and expectations just don't matter. As long as you're bettering yourself, the initial fear something new will fade."

She continued by stating that, "Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall was an absolute inspiration to listen to. I will remember her speech for a long time. Her quote was really impactful because many women are taught by society that there can only be one (she called it "the token woman"). But she was advocating for shifting this view and helping other women around you."

In addition to the SheBelieves Summit last weekend, Hanss also had the opportunity to take part in the Centennial Conference's Snell-Shillingford Symposium earlier this semester. Regardless of the career path that Hanss follows, these conferences have certainly left an impact on her.

"Quite honestly, I don't know what my dream job is. Right now I am coaching young girls (9 years old), and both the SheBelieves Summit and the Snell-Shillingford Symposium have given me so many tools to be a good female leader and role model for these girls," explained Hanss. "Middle school is hard for everyone, and these two conferences really taught me how impactful I can be to these girls, and how important it is to have female role models to look up to. I was coached by almost all men, and they were absolutely incredible coaches, but it's always interesting to look back and see how I could have or would have changed if I did have female coaches. I'm really trying to make that impact on the girls I coach now."