MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University officially kicked of National Women’s History Month Tuesday, March 12, at an opening ceremony combining the annual Trailblazer Awards and first “Women of True Grit” Conference inside Tucker Theatre.

College of Media and Entertainment Dean Beverly Keel opened the event with the introduction of “Women of True Grit” author and keynote speaker Edie Hand, whose book of the same name inspired the conference.

Trailblazers honored

Maigan Wipfli, director of the MTSU June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students, presented awards to five women who have impacted the MTSU community in positive ways and invited the crowd to “B.E. True Blue” — Belong and Engage — in keeping with this year’s theme.

“During 2024, we recognize the example of women to embrace everyone and exclude no one in our common quest for freedom and opportunity,” Wipfli told the audience. “We state in our (MTSU) True Blue Pledge that we are valuable contributors engaged in the life of this community.

“When a person can bring their authentic self, they are more engaged and able to contribute, thus, belonging and engagement.”

Trailblazer honorees who embody this True Blue spirit this year include Julie Myatt, associate professor of English and MT Engage director; Janet McCormick, Communication Studies professor; Vickie Harden, associate professor and Master of Social Work Program coordinator; Nia Allen, Diversity Dissertation Fellow in Textiles, Merchandising and Design Program; and psychology student Zofia Zagalsky.

You can check out a video recap of the Trailblazer Awards here.

Sharing ‘pearls of wisdom’

Dressed in a teal feather boa once owned by the late comedienne Phyllis Diller, Hand offered nearly a dozen “pearls of wisdom” for audience members as she talked about her life story and book that profiles more than 60 successful women who navigated through adversity.

“When I was very young, my grandmother inspired me about wearing pearls and the pearls of many colors,” Hand noted, referencing a slide presentation that featured 10 types of colorful pearls. “It only takes a speck of grit inside an oyster shell to form a pearl.”

The grit in life are challenges that “help us progress to the person we need to be,” Hand said. As she explained the different pearls as they related to life experiences, Hand recalled the pain of losing her three brothers and how it shaped her life.

“We cannot control life situations, but we can control how we respond to them,” Hand said. “You don’t ever know where you’re going, but be ready and be prepared.”

Journey from farm to NASA

The program also welcomed NASA engineer Shelia Nash Stevenson, who recalled the story of a farm girl’s journey to become the first Black woman in Alabama to receive a Ph.D. in physics. That girl, she said, was her.

“It would take true grit for her to come out of that cotton field to do something different,” said Stevenson, who graduated high school at 16 and earned a bachelor’s degree by 19.

After graduating with a master’s in physics, Stevenson married and began planning a family. But her professor encouraged her to pursue a Ph.D.

“I realized I started something, and I realized I had to finish it,” said Stevenson, who wanted to prove a woman could have a career and a family. “I kept going because I had a good God and he blessed me with true grit. I not only completed my Ph.D., but I worked full time and gave birth to two children.”

Several of the women featured in Hand’s book also took part in panel discussions.

During the first panel, Hand interviewed former Hallmark Channel CEO Lana King, award-winning writer/director/producer Marion MacKenzie Pyle and Bloom in the Dark network founder and author Paula Mosher Wallace.

Keel moderated a panel about “Finding Your Voice,” comprised of entertainment executive and social justice activist Gina Miller, music label executive Anastasia Brown, disability-inclusion consultant/trainer and theater artist Alie B. Gorrie, and breast cancer survivor Kelly Lang, a singer-songwriter who performed for the crowd.

The event was sponsored by the College of Media and Entertainment, the Distinguished Lecture Committee and the National Women’s History Month Committee.

Full calendar of events remain

More Women’s History Month events are ongoing at MTSU:

• Closing the Gender Negotiation Gap: The Power of Entitlement, 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, Business and Aerospace Building, Room N127.

• Writing HerStory, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 16, Student Union Building, second-floor conference room, 1768 MTSU Blvd.

• A conversation with writer Danielle Chapman, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, Ingram MT Center, 2269 Middle Tennessee Blvd.

• National Women’s History Month Craft Night Pickup: Board and Brush, 9-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, March 18, 19 and 20, Student Union Building, Room 330, 1768 MTSU Blvd.

• MTSU Department of Social Work will host “Human Trafficking: Putting a Name to My Face” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, in Academic Classroom Building Room 104, 1751 MTSU Blvd.

• Women’s History Month keynote speaker Rebekah Taussig will share her story at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in the Student Union Ballroom, 1768 MTSU Blvd.

For more details about other events, visit the Women’s History Month calendar, or visit https://mtsu.edu/jac/ and click the National Women’s History Month tab.

Off-campus visitors planning to attend daytime activities during the month can obtain a temporary permit from the Parking and Transportation Services office at 205 City View Drive or print a visitor pass at https://mtsu.t2hosted.com. Visitor permits are $2 per day. A parking map and more information is available at https://mtsu.edu/parking/.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)