The Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation hosted its first “Inquieta” women’s conference Wednesday at the Brownsville Events Center.

GBIC hosted the event, “Inquieta: Women Maximizing their Impact,” in partnership with the city of Brownsville, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance (DHR), the Texas Workforce Commission and Workforce Solutions Cameron.

Helen Ramirez, GBIC executive director and assistant city manager, introduced the conference and its speakers, Brownsville City Commissioner and GBIC Vice Chair Nurith Galonsky, TWC Commissioner Julian Alvarez, WSC Executive Director Pat Hobbs, DHR Chief Operating Officer Aida Coronado-Garcia, and Brownsville City Commissioner Dr. Rose Gowen.

Ramirez also moderated a panel discussion featuring Coronado-Garcia, International City/County Management Association Mountain Plains Regional Director Karen Daly, Astreia founder and CEO Natalie Rens, and Texas A&M University Outreach and Education Associate Director Valerie G. Segovia. The conversation in part focused on various issues facing professional women.

Ramirez said the goal of the conference was to “inspire women of all generations and backgrounds to pursue and grow their careers, and be bold in their thinking and pursuit of success” and also “create a supportive environment where current and future women leaders come together to network and empower one another.”

In closing remarks, Gowen told the story of her own experience with residency interviews after graduating from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in obstetrics-gynecology, and about the coaching she received from a school counselor before those interviews, in order to illustrate one type of challenge aspiring professional women often face.

“All girls in my class were told don’t talk about getting married, don’t talk about wanting children, and definitely don’t talk about wanting children during the year that you’re going to be in the residency,” she said. “I didn’t think much of it other than I didn’t like it, but that’s what all the girls in my class were told and all the girls in all the medical schools were told.”

At each residency interview, in fact, one of the questions inevitably touched on that subject — until her last interview, at Baylor Houston, where the interviewer informed her that such questions were illegal, Gowen said.

“The woman said did somebody ask you that? … Do they ask the men how they’re going to be a dad, a husband and a doctor at the same time? Do they ask if they’re going to have children during their year of residency?” she recalled.

“You hear about all the failures of women who couldn’t manage to get all of that together, but you don’t hear about the successes, and there are a lot of successes,” Gowen said. “If that’s what you want then you make it happen or you try to make it happen as best as you can. And if you’re successful, then talk about, because we need to hear more about the successes in addition to the failures. Let’s face it, not everyone wants to have children and that’s fine too.”

Gowen said her hope is that her daughter will be free to choose whether to have a career and a family, or not have a family, and “that she’s able to make those choices with her head held high and the support of the people around her who love her.”

She also recognized a team from the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce in attendance at the conference.

“Under the leadership of the Brownsville chamber you have provided essential services to the business community,” Gowen said. “We thank you for your service and being an outstanding role model for women in our community.”

Watch the entire “Inquieta: Women Maximizing Their Impact” here: youtube.com/watch?v=Wfz5IssTeOo.