Zuri (Cindy) Ferraresi

Zuri (Cindy) Ferraresi: Speaker: Zuri Ferraresi, ReverendZuri Ferraresi: Build your own pedestal. You don't need a title to be influential.What does being an Influential Woman mean to you?Zuri Ferraresi: For me, being an influential woman is not about someone in the spotlight but a way to pass the torch on. It isn't about the self. It is about planting seeds of curiosity and courage that will outlive the classroom. Most people think an influencer has all the answers, but it is just the opposite. The most influential thing you can do is stay. Is Help a student grow. When you show others that you are still learning, you take the pressure off them to be perfect. You become the guide, not the expert. Creating curiosity in others allows them to know that the world is full of beauty and wonder, not a series of tests. I don't just teach a subject. I teach students how to be interested in life. As a woman, I help young women not just to emulate some one they admire but to help them understand who they could be. Women are a bridge between where they are and where they can go. In a world where the future often feels like a source of dread, an influential woman can act as an anchor instead of that ship flipping around in the storm. It can stay steady with it with actionable steps. This also allows for young people to face their fears, moving them away from passive worry to active participation. For me, being an influential woman means being a living bridge, bridging the gap between ignorance and knowledge through lifelong learning and between paralysis and progress by turning fear into hope.What's one piece advice you would give to younger women chasing their dreams?Zuri Ferraresi: If I were sitting across from a younger woman fueled by big dreams, the one thing I'd want her to internalize is this Don't wait for permission to be the expert in the room. So often we are socialized to wait, to wait until we have one more certification, until we're invited to speak, or until we feel 100% ready, but waiting for permission is just a polite way of staying stuck. Build your own pedestal. You don't need a title to be influential. If you have a passion for learning and a genuine desire to help others, you already have the credentials to start leading. Influence is earned through action and consistency, not granted by a board or a boss. Failure is a data point, not a decree. As a lifelong learner, you know that a mistake is just an unfinished lesson. When you're chasing a dream, you will hit walls, a lot of them. If you view those walls as a sign that you don't belong, you'll stop. If you view them as feedback, you become unstoppable. Replace what if it goes wrong with what if I can handle it. Anxiety thrives on the idea that we are fragile, but you mention the importance of facing the future to find hope. The best way to build confidence is to prove to yourself that even if the worst case scenario happens, you have the tools to learn your way out of it. If you don't see a woman doing exactly what you want to do in the way you want to do it, good, that means there's a gap in the world that only your specific voice can fill. Your curiosity is your greatest superpower. Don't let the fear. Of being unqualified silence the very insights you and your community need to hear.