Inspiring
Role Models

Virtual Conference

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

August 5 - 6, 2023

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sponsors

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Michigan Youth Empowerment Foundation’s Inspiring Role Models (IRM) Virtual Conference aims to motivate youth to fully invest in themselves and explore their passions.

2023 DAy 1

2023 DAY 2

Schedule

Day one

Saturday August 5, 2023

Our speakers and panelists include inspiring leaders in business, STEAM, and activism around the world who will share their stories and offer guidance to uncover your true potential.

2:00 pm - 2:40 pm EDT

Automotive HR and Financial Services

Biomedical Engineering Student, Co-Founder MEDIC Foundation

3:30 pm - 4:10 pm EDT

Physics Professor, Graduated from Qinghua University

Doctor, Hematology/Oncology Division Committee Co-Chair

Schedule

Day Two

sunday August 6, 2023

2:00 pm - 2:40 pm EDT

Founder of Cuerd@s Clothing

Yan Chang

Tech Lead Manager and Software Engineer at Amazon‘s Zoox

Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer at Bond & Grace, Ex-Googler

Machine Learning Expert at Microsoft, President at Career Up Club

Our official

Partners

Check Who Makes The Event Possible

Conference

Opportunities

Ambassadors

The Ambassador Program is a leadership opportunity for students who are dedicated to representing the IRM Virtual Conference. Ambassadors have full access to the conference VIP package, participate in ambassador-exclusive giveaways, and earn Presidential Volunteer Service Award volunteer hours.

Partners

Be a part of an awesome team and making an impact in many ways!

Sponsors

Gain valuable exposure for your brand and help us encourage thousands of youths develop a sense of identity and purpose.

 

Frequently Asked Question

 

Michigan Youth Empowerment Foundation’s Inspiring Role Models (IRM) Virtual Conference aims to motivate youth to fully invest in themselves and explore their passions. We aspire to bring people of different interests together for collaboration and innovation. Our speakers and panelists include inspiring leaders in business, STEAM, and activism around the world who will share their stories and offer guidance to uncover your true potential. Together, we can build a better tomorrow.

As adolescents strive to develop a sense of identity and purpose, role models become important in helping identify the behaviours, attitudes, and qualities that make up an impactful leader.

Although this event is geared towards middle and high school students, we welcome all people regardless of age, location, or experience!

The conference is currently scheduled for August 7th – 8th, 2021, 12 PM to 6 PM EDT.

 

By becoming a partner, your organization will be featured on our website along with a clickable logo that leads to your web page. Moreover, all of our partners will receive VIP tickets to the conference free of charge, and be a part of an awesome team!

Link to Partner Contract

 

We strive to provide guidance and opportunities for motivated students around the world to help them pursue their passions. Many students lack a professional role model in their lives that can provide mentorship in a specific area, and we hope to change that. At IRM, youth will be able to hear from leaders and professionals in their industries and learn from them.

IRM will be held online via Zoom. There will also be a YouTube live streaming available. 

An event ambassador will be responsible for helping to bring in publicity for the event. The event ambassador program is a great opportunity to earn volunteer hours and all event ambassadors will be invited to the live Zoom meeting with Q&A sessions with the guest speakers! All students from grades 6 to 12 are eligible to apply.

General Pass (free) holders will receive an email for the conference’s YouTube Live link.

VIP Pass ($14.99) holders will be invited to join the Zoom live to have direct interactions with all of our speakers.

contact Info

Email

ylc@myefound.org

Phone

+1-248-835-8082

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Meet Our Ambassadors

Reserve
your tickets

Michigan Youth Empowerment Foundation’s Inspiring Role Models (IRM) Virtual Conference aims to motivate youth to fully invest in themselves and explore their passions.

Michigan Youth Empowerment Foundation’s Inspiring Role Models (IRM) Virtual Conference aims to motivate youth to fully invest in themselves and explore their passions.

Sherri Anne Wynter

Automotive HR and Financial Services

Born in Jamaica and raised in Metro Detroit. Holds two degrees in Psychology: one from University of Michigan and the other from University of Detroit Mercy. Loves to volunteer in the community. Worked in Automotive for over 15 years. Currently working in HR and Financial Services. Love to help the youth and a proud member of Toastmasters.

Anjali Menon

Biomedical Engineering Student, Co-Founder MEDIC Foundation

Anjali is a dedicated and passionate advocate for healthcare and social causes. As the co-founder of the MEDIC Foundation, a non-profit incorporated research society, she has spearheaded ground-breaking initiatives in the field of chronic conditions. Through her leadership, the MEDIC Foundation has become a leading force in promoting cutting-edge research, fostering collaboration among medical professionals, and raising public awareness about chronic health issues in British Columbia, Canada. In addition to her role at the MEDIC Foundation, Anjali serves as the executive director of the Global Outreach Project, an endeavor focussing on donating vital medical supplies to remote and underserved areas through rural medical camps.  She has been honored with the Canadian Governor General Sovereign Medal for Volunteers, a recognition bestowed upon exceptional individuals who demonstrate remarkable commitment to community service. The Diana Award, established to honor Princess Diana’s legacy, has acknowledged Anjali for her outstanding contributions to society.  Anjali’s journey serves as an inspiration to all, emphasizing the power of compassion, innovation, and advocacy in transforming lives and creating a better world.

Changgong Zhou

Physics Professor, Graduated from Tsinghua University

Changgong Zhou earned a Bachelor of Science in physics from Tsinghua University, China, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Physics from Michigan Technological University. As an experimental physicist, Dr. Zhou has extensive experience in optical forces, optical forces and aerosol dynamics. In recent years, Dr. Zhou is actively involved in developing physics lab instruction, including new experiment activities, innovative instruction models, 3D printed experiment apparatuses, etc. In his free time, Dr. Zhou enjoys 3D printing, electronics projects, photography and biking.

RENÉ ASHWORTH

Doctor, Hematology/Oncology Division Committee Co-Chair

Dr. Ashworth graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Neuroscience and a minor in African American Studies. Following college graduation, she worked in protocol development at GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceuticals. She then earned her medical doctorate from Temple University School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency and Chief Residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and Hematology/Oncology fellowship at NYU School of Medicine.

Dr. Ashworth joined CUIMC in 2015 as an Assistant Professor of Medicine, but also as a pioneer physician of the Oncology Hospitalist program, which serves to bridge medical care between the outpatient subspecialty practices and the inpatient hospital setting for acutely ill cancer patients. With dual board certification, Dr. Ashworth provides a multidisciplinary approach to the inpatient management of a wide range of acute medical issues across solid tumor subtypes including, but not limited to, breast cancer, gastrointestinal and liver cancer, genitourinary cancer, lung cancer, skin cancers and melanoma, and sarcomas. She is wholly committed to upholding a clinical standard of excellent care on the hospital ward. Her academic interests lay in the area health disparities, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion. She currently serves as the Hematology/Oncology Division DEI committee co-chair and has focused her efforts this year on recruitment and pipeline programming. She serves as a faculty mentor and advisor within the Internal Medicine Residency program.

Megan Burke

Founder of Cuerd@s Clothing

At 13 years old, Megan’s mission was to “transform random acts of kindness into consistent acts of love“. An ethos that has defined her vision for change as capacity-building for good. That year, as a freshman in high school, Megan founded The Beautiful Mind Campaign, a peer-to-peer mental health education and awareness organization. Through BMC, Megan honed her gifts as a respected mental health advocate and agent of change. A decade later and now a graduate of Villanova University, Megan’s passion has manifested as social entrepreneur and founder of Cuerd@s. Cuerd@s is a gender-neutral line of upcycled clothing with tactile sensory patches to support self-soothing and grounding. Her clothing is donated to mental health programs and individuals across the country. Megan’s emphasis on sustainable clothing and hand craftsmanship is intentional; a fusion of love for the planet and for one another.

Yan Chang

Tech Lead Manager and Software Engineer at Zoox

Yan Chang is a Tech Lead Manager and Software Engineer at Zoox, where she applies planning and machine learning techniques to solve autonomous driving for dense urban environments. She serves as an associate editor of IEEE Transactions of Transportation Electrification. She holds a Master degree and Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.

Ayana Christie

Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer at Bond & Grace, Ex-Googler

A native of Brooklyn, NY–Ayana is a proud first-generation American, creative strategist, and serial entrepreneur who learned how to make nothing into something from an early age. She used her English degree from Dartmouth College to launch her career at Booz Allen Hamilton and fiercely compel stakeholders and developers alike as a Senior Product Strategist. Most recently she drove incubation product sales strategies for Google Cloud and now is the Chief Product Officer of Literary Lifestyle Brand, Bond & Grace. As founder of her startup studio Florâcity, she helps creators live lives they’ve only imagined. Through it all, Ayana keeps contributing to others at the center of her leadership and personal mission–releasing potential, encouraging excellence, and sharing in continuous learning. When Ayana isn’t mentoring high school students or bringing products to market, you can find her running home for a quick fix of NYC, planning her next adventure, or bravely altering a new recipe. Connect with Ayana to share notes on emerging technologies and trends to watch today.

Yayun Jin

Machine Learning Expert at Microsoft, President at Career Up Club

Yayun, an accomplished Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Scientist at Microsoft, wears many hats that are all geared towards empowering professionals in their careers. She is also a leader in the non-profit sector, serving as the President of Career Up Club, an organization dedicated to building a strong community for professionals. Under her leadership, the club executes weekly events covering a wide range of topics including career development, start-ups, mentorship, and leadership training. In addition to her corporate and non-profit work, Yayun leverages her industry expertise as a career coach, guiding over 100 new graduates and professionals into their dream jobs in the tech industry. Her multifaceted roles demonstrate her commitment to not just advancing the field of AI and Machine Learning, but also in using her knowledge and skills to foster growth and opportunity for other professionals.