March 11, the Elizabethtown College Office of Diversity, Inclusivity and Title IX sponsored the webinar “Leadership Lessons from Beyoncé,” presented by Amber Hurt.
Hurt is the Director of Student Engagement and Community Programs at Notre Dame of Maryland University. She is also the creator of “The Adulting Queen,” her blog and business she started in 2019 “because no one ever teaches you how to be an adult.”
“Working in colleges, I realized students don’t know a lot of things about adulting,” Hurt said. “Because we don’t talk about it, people don’t know, and they think they’re the only person ever experiencing this.”
“The Adulting Queen” has evolved into helping people of all ages, not just students. It is also a place for Hurt to share about her brunch and travel experiences.
Associate Director of Intercultural Affairs at Etown Ellis Bonds organized the event. He invited Hurt to speak based on her experiences with leadership and diversity, equity and inclusion work.
“With her being a woman in a male dominated field, she brings tenacity, grit and the idea that sometimes you have to create your own table if a seat isn’t prepared for you,” Bonds said.
The webinar was mainly focused on analyzing the lyrics of many of Beyoncé’s songs to find the inspirational meanings behind them, such as the importance of working with others and using your voice. Hurt is a fan of the singer, but she also chose Beyoncé for this webinar because of the positive messages behind her songs.
“Beyoncé often puts out songs with action behind them,” Hurt said.
Hurt talked about other celebrities who use their platforms for good, as well, like Michelle Obama and Issa Rae. Near the end of the webinar, she answered some questions and touched on some other key areas of leadership, like imposter syndrome and how it is all in your head, support systems and allies and finding your purpose in college by taking advantage of resources and getting involved. She also talked about the importance of self-care and how “rest does not mean you have to take a nap.”
Hurt made it clear that everyone, regardless of specific roles and positions, is a leader. The important thing is just to show up every day trying to be better, making the most of your experiences and trying to make an impact wherever you are.
Bonds hopes viewers’ main takeaway was that leadership is never-ending.
“The capacity to one’s leadership could never be reached if they keep going, expanding their network, and taking advantage of new opportunities offered to them,” Ellis Bonds said.
Hurt hopes viewers found a piece of advice or a lyric they want to implement and that they “work to improve every day.”
This webinar was part of Etown’s celebration of Women’s History Month. Both Bonds and Hurt reflected on the importance of Women’s History Month.
“Women are a crucial part in the history of this country and are often not recognized for their hard work. At Elizabethtown College we have [a] majority [of] female identifying students, and so the goal is to empower them to know that change is being made every day as it relates to women’s rights. Though some changes are smaller than others and some days are harder than other, we have to push on until we live in a more equitable world for ALL women,” Bonds said.
Hurt sees the importance of Women’s History Month as telling important stories and celebrating identities.
“Everybody should celebrate themselves and whatever their identities because they deserves to be celebrated,” Hurt said. “You have to celebrate yourself and your identities, because if you don’t, nobody else will.”
