On Friday 3rd May, over seventy Sussex students and their parents gathered at Burgess Hill Girls for its student-organised Tomorrow’s Women conference featuring Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton professor Debra Humphris, founder and CEO of 2nd Line of Defence Lisa Baskott, actress and screenwriter Holly Goss, Liberal Democrats Parliamentary Candidate for Mid Sussex Councillor Alison Bennett, and Imperial College London senior lecturer Dr Nazila Kamaly.
The Tomorrow’s Women conference is unique in that it is created and organised by Sixth Form students at Sussex independent school Burgess Hill Girls. They engage in producing every aspect of the conference, from deciding on the format, to selecting speakers and hosting the event.
The theme for this year’s conference was ‘Women in Power.’ All the speakers, leaders from a diverse range of organisations in Sussex, shared their personal stories, including challenges they had faced and how they had overcome them to achieve their life and career goals.
Professor Debra Humphris revealed how her journey progressed from starting as a qualified nurse to receiving a CBE from Princess Anne, and encouraged students to be proud of who they are and to always take-up opportunities that come their way.
Holly Goss recounted what life is like as an actor and the importance of developing resilience in an industry notorious for rejection.
Lisa Baskott explained how the death of Sarah Everard was pivotal in her drive to set up a security recruitment agency. She demonstrated that if you work hard, you can make a change but there is much more to do to ensure women feel safe in every environment.
Councillor Alison Bennett revealed that politicians often get a bad name, when they are usually diligent individuals striving for change.
Dr Nazila Kamaly encouraged students to consider a career in STEM and revealed how travel had opened her eyes to different experiences and future avenues.
Lisa Baskott enjoyed her visit to the conference:
“It was an absolute pleasure to share the platform with such amazing women. The girls did such a fantastic job in curating the event.”
Head of Sixth Form, Iain Regan-Smith could not have been prouder of the Sixth Form students behind the event.
“Yet again the girls have surpassed themselves in putting on an excellent conference. I was particularly impressed with how they all spoke when introducing the event and the speakers. I hope, once they have all made their marks on the world, they will come back as speakers and share their journeys.”