The 19th Women’s History Month luncheon took place on Tuesday afternoon in the East Dining Room with president Dena Maloney and sociology professor, Stacey Allen, as guest speakers.

Host of the luncheon, professional development coordinator, Lisa Mednick Takami, kicked off the event by mentioning that the focus of the luncheon was to “honor women in public service.”

Mednick introduced Maloney not only as the featured guest speaker but also, as the institution’s sixth president and as the first female president of the institution.

“We had the best turnout we’ve had in the last few years,” Mednick said.

During Maloney’s speech, she talked about how her mother and sister were “great influences” in her life.

“My mom taught me three things that created my way of looking at the world: Don’t do anything halfway, commit. Always do your best and learn from your mistakes and lead from where you are,” Maloney said.

Allen announced that this year, the Women’s History Month committee decided to donate the proceeds from Tuesday’s event to Women Helping Women, a non-profit organization that aids unemployed or underemployed women. The committee raised nearly $1,000 dollars, Allen said.

“I think it’s crucial that we recognize the untold stories of women,” Allen said. “Too often, the accomplishments and contributions of women have been disregarded or trivialized.”

Allen also introduced a new program at EC: Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies. Although the program is in the early stages of planning, the plan is to give students an opportunity to earn an associate degree in the field.

“Because it is a lengthy process to develop a new major, it will be at least a year before the major is available to students,” Allen said.

Maloney’s message in honor of Women’s History Month was to “lead from where you are.”

There are no other events coming up for Women’s History Month for this year.