The Veterans Resource Center and EOPS host the first annual Women’s Empowerment Gala

STORY BY GABI GARCIA, CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CYPRESS COLLEGE OFFICE OF CAMPUS COMMUNICATIONS

The Cypress College Veterans Resource Center Women’s Unity Group and Extended Opportunity Program Services joined together to host the first annual Women’s Empowerment Gala with special guest speakers Ashley Ross and Maria Buffo on Thursday, March 21.

The gala brought together a large group of students and faculty in honor of Women’s History Month to “celebrate the strength, resilience, and achievements of women from all walks of life.”

The event was put together by Adriana Duran, Women Veterans Support Expert, and Esmeralda Martin, Veterans Counselor from the Cypress College VRC.

Duran spoke with the Cypress Chronicle about the importance of this event, “It’s important that we’re bringing in such a diverse group to celebrate the achievements of women.” The EOPS program and the VRC Women’s Unity Group serve a variety of women on campus including but not limited to women who are dependents of military families, military-affiliated women, and veterans.

The event began with the singing of the National Anthem by Brianna Rios and continued with an introduction from Martin, and a few words from different members of the college’s administration including President Scott Thayer, Vice President of Student Services Dr. Paul de Dios, and Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Kathleen Reiland.

 

Each provided gratitude and appreciation for the women in attendance and the people who organized the event.

Following their segments was the first guest speaker, Ashley Ross, a Cypress College EOPS/CARE alumna who graduated in 2019 with an AA in Administration of Justice and an AA in Social and Behavioral Sciences. She graduated in 2021 from California State University, Dominguez Hills with a BS in Criminal Justice Administration. As of February 2024, she has received an offer as a Police Officer with the Long Beach Police Department for the August 2024 academy. She states that her life’s mission is “to create a legacy of abundance by serving humanity with integrity and love.”

Ross’s inspiring speech was nothing short of that mission, she began her speech with appreciation towards the people who asked her to come back to Cypress to share her story, “I’m so happy to be home…it’s such a pleasure and an honor so thank you for having me here today.”

She continued by explaining that she was not sure of the value she could bring or the qualifications she has to speak at an event like this and finally landed on, “…my messy resume of life that qualifies me. I’ve built this beautiful tapestry of experience and everybody has one.”

Ross asked the audience to humor her for a few minutes, to close their eyes and check in with themselves. Imagine filling up a balloon of color, with an emotion that represents that color and letting it go. She brought up three points that she wanted to speak about to help the audience consider within their lives, integrity, service, and love.

For integrity, Ross emphasized that when someone operates from a place of authenticity and transparency the people around them can feel that, and if they are being closed off and guarded that can be felt as well. “I’m asking you that whatever you do, do it with integrity,” she said.

For service, she said, “Actions are louder than words,” and went on to explain that it is important to meet people where they are. She gave credit to learning that from Lili Perez an EOPS/CARE Program counselor at Cypress. Ross said that one can not know what other people are going through so it is important to treat everyone with respect, including oneself.

For love, Ross said that operating from the place of love is vital, regardless of knowing the right answer. She said that people are more willing to work with someone who operates from a place of love and recommended going to the EOPS office to get first-hand experience in it.

To close her speech, Ross said that “women are natural nurturers and we heal from the foundation.” She continued by giving credit to the men who are also part of empowering the women in their lives and ended her speech with a poem, about a warrior who rises despite falling, that helped her through her darkest moments.

 

The second speaker was Maria Buffo, the Director of the Veterans Success Center at Citrus College and a US Navy veteran herself. Buffo served in the US Navy from 1998 to 2003 and was part of the Naval Mobile Construction Battalions known as the Seabees.

She received her master’s degree from Phillips Graduate Institute in clinical psychology and earned her License in Marriage and Family Therapy after working in non-profit community mental health. Buffo has experience in management for rehabilitation treatment, and teaching addiction studies, and is certified in trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy.

Buffo began her speech by thanking everyone who was involved in the making of the event and gave a special show of gratitude to Martin for her work.

She introduced herself and made sure to emphasize her roots, “I’m a Latina and I’m a veteran.”
Buffo’s speech was unique yet completely relatable; she said, “I remember thinking I was never going to get ‘there,’ but I didn’t realize where ‘there’ was.” Buffo said that there is no ‘there’, it is not the degree, it’s the journey because it is impossible to know where those steps will take you.

Women, especially women of Hispanic descent, know the struggle of tradition all too well. Buffo said that while her parents supported her path into the military her extended family was expecting her to go down the traditional path. Buffo said that taking that leap gave her a sense of identity and confidence that led her to believe that she needed to be in a position that allowed her to make decisions.

There’s a distinct path that had to be followed, she said that the path she was supposed to take was the one she did not want to go down. Not following that tradition was what got her to where she is now.

While taking that route, Buffo mentioned a mentor that she met while working in management and how that mentor saw something in her that set Buffo apart and that is why her mentor knew that position was for her.

She used her final interview with Citrus College to get the position of director to emphasize how powerful women are. The three people who conducted her final interview were women, and walking into that room made Buffo feel like she belonged. She knew that she wanted to be there.

Buffo closed her speech with something those women taught her, “I don’t need to be invited, I can just be present, and if I’m not heard then I can speak a little louder. If I have something to say then I should say it.”

She hopes that one day she can be one of those women on the other side of the conference table handing over the position to another young woman. Her goal is to be an advocate for all women and to be there to support them.

 

After the speeches, Duran and Martin presented the 50/50 raffle drawing where the winner won one thousand one hundred and fifty dollars. The winner decided to give the money back to the program. After the drawing, everyone was encouraged to participate in an interactive activity to create “The Empowerment Mosaic,” a puzzle with inspiring messages related to women’s empowerment.

 

The event was an example of the good women can do for other women and the importance of being on the same team. Duran wanted the people in attendance at the event to gain perspective and “walk away with a better understanding of all the different achievements that women from all walks of life accomplish…I hope people find others that they can relate to.”

The event successfully allowed everyone to walk away with a new appreciation of the women in attendance as well as the women in their own lives who inspire them every day.