EmpowerUS Summit 2023

Welcome to EmpowerUS Summit 2023

The EmpowerUS Summit will take place on Friday, March 10th from 10:00 am – 3:00pm at UCI Beall Applied Innovation. EmpowerUS Summit is a campus wide event for students, faculty, and staff. Session topics will focus on wellness, intersecting identities, and personal and professional development. 

Discovering the Wisdom in our Voices

VIRTUAL OPTION: https://uci.zoom.us/j/97302781896
One day intentionally designed to acknowledge the power of storytelling, and to embrace the dynamic lived experiences of those surrounding us and those who came before us.

ConnectUS Mentoring Program

ConnectUS is a mentorship program of the EmpowerUS Summit, that provides students with the opportunity to network with womxn graduate students, faculty, and staff. All participants broaden and develop strong networks that EmpowerUS!

We envision the ConnectUS Session during our Summit to connect undergraduates and graduate students with professionals in their desired fields and leave them feeling empowered and inspired to create positive societal change.


Registration Information

The Womxn’s Center for Success is excited to announce that registration for the annual EmpowerUS Summit is soon opening for all UC Irvine students, faculty, and staff.

Parking is on site and free.


Speakers & Workshop Facilitators

Keynote Speaker: Melly Denizard

Melly (aka Melissa Denizard) is a 23-year old cultural worker, activist, and organizer bridging public speaking, music, and visual art to illustrate Black Feminist Queer futures. 

Centering Love, Care and Spirit, Melly is guided by her upbringing in Mirebalais, Ayiti (Haiti) and the revolutionary history of her birth country. Attendees leave Melly’s talks feeling moved by her years as a racial justice organizer and educator and inspired by her extraordinary presence. And more importantly, they become culturally aware of the Black Radical Tradition through which Melly creates educational experiences that expand our possibilities, bravely challenge the status quo, and speak to our deepest desires.

Recognized by Kerry Washington and Natalie Portman’s Black Voices for Black Justice Fund, Melly’s work expands our understanding of Black identity, history, and liberation all while centering the unique experiences of Black girls, women, and femmes.

2022 – 2023 Committee Members

  • Isha Bhatt, Counselor and Coordinator – Student Success Initiatives
  • Rasta Bagheri, CARE Advocate – UCI CARE
  • Victoria Rocha, Program Coordinator – Latinx Resource Center 
  • Tonie Zhu, Associate Director, Employer Relations- Career Center, Paul Merage School of Business
  • Niobe Duke, Program Coordinator – Center for Black Culture, Resources, and Research  
  • Sandy Wang, Assistant Director – International Center
  • Maggie Heimann, Senior Meeting & Event Planner – Event Services, Student Center
  • Kara Ward, Program Coordinator – Office of Access, Outreach and Inclusion
  • Christina K. Treble, Honors Advisor – Campuswide Honors Collegium
  • Ellie Mendoza, Empowerment Intern – Womxn’s Center for Success
  • Ta’hila Davis, Undergraduate Student
  • Erika Cortez, Assistant Director – Womxn’s Center for Success