What does an ER doctor have in common with an auto body shop manager, an entrepreneur and a superior court judge?
These successful women will share their career experiences with hundreds of girls at the Marin Teen Girls Conference on March 2 in San Rafael.
The dynamic day, hosted by the Marin Women’s Commission, includes a variety of speakers, hands-on workshops and activities. From learning about STEM careers to discussing the meaning of consent to practicing power Pilates, the event covers a lot of ground.
Keynote speaker Christy Smith, a former member of the California State Assembly, will address building confidence and courage through challenging times. The Teen Trailblazers Hall connects the girls with community resources, including Marin Health, TAY (Transitional Age Youth) Radio Marin, Karma Club, OD Free Marin and the Marine Mammal Center.
There will also be entertainment, with performances by singers and Latinx dancers. The girls can capture fun moments in the photo booth, win raffle prizes and pick up swag bags.
“The conference itself, it’s really for girls by girls,” said Sonia Saltzman, director of the Marin Teen Girls Conference Ambassador program and member of the Marin Women’s Commission.
A group of 22 girls from high schools across the county serve as conference ambassadors. Last fall, they began gathering suggestions from fellow students to help shape the event.
Annie Carmona, a 17-year-old senior at Terra Linda High School in San Rafael, first attended the Marin Teen Girls Conference during her sophomore year. The positive energy of the event personally transformed her, so she became an ambassador the following year and returned to the role again for the 2025 conference.
“As ambassadors, we work alongside the Women’s Commission, and we use our voices to present ideas about potential workshops and speakers you may want to see at the conference,” Carmona said. “Overall, we just give our input on how we want the conference to turn out so that we are able to represent a diverse range of girls from our county.”
The teen ambassadors certainly hit the ball out of the park. Conference attendees may have some difficulty choosing from more than 20 workshops scheduled during the three main sessions: Career; My Body, My Health, My Community; and Movement.
Workshops include exploring a career in medical sonography, how to break into social media marketing, building community, mastering stress with simple tools, nutrition and wellness, self-defense and much more.
According to Leslie Belingheri, chair of the Marin Women’s Commission, the workshop facilitators engage in conversation with the girls, instead of simply presenting a slide deck. The sessions last 40 to 50 minutes, and the goal is to provide teens with a few tools and pique their interest in pursuing more information.
Inclusiveness also became a top priority for the ambassadors. Mia Abrajan, a 15-year-old conference ambassador and sophomore at Marin Academy in San Rafael, will lead and help during the Spanish-speaking workshops at the event.
“In each of the three sessions, we’ve created a solely Spanish-speaking workshop,” Abrajan said. “We don’t exclude girls that don’t have the privilege of knowing both languages [Spanish and English].”
The conference will have an on-site translator to assist Spanish speakers throughout the day. Commission members and the teen ambassadors have also worked hard to eliminate other barriers.
“We’ve been striving to reach all communities in Marin,” Belingheri said. “This year, we have 15 girls coming from West Marin, and we have transportation for them. We want any girl who lives or goes to high school in Marin County to have the full benefit of attending the conference. And that’s also the reason why the conference is free and that we provide breakfast and lunch.”
In its 13th year, organizers expect 250 to 300 girls, ages 13 to 18, to attend the event next month. The County of Marin provides about two-thirds of the budget. The Marin Women’s Commission, composed of 12 women appointed by the Marin County Board of Supervisors, raises the remainder from sponsors.
The idea for the conference resulted from a 2008 survey and research project on women’s disparity conducted by the commission. The following year, it was presented to the board of supervisors.
Belingheri points to the gender inequity in pay as one glaring issue the commission found, which still exists today. Additionally, there weren’t many resources for teen girls.
“It’s super important that they have a voice and feel safe,” Belingheri said. “Girls can build a powerful community and be everything that they want to be.”
Teen ambassadors Carmona and Abrajan explained they acquired that understanding through attending and helping to organize conferences. Both believe that other girls will also get out of their comfort zones and gain perspective.
“They will leave with some sort of knowledge on different types of careers and the struggles and life turns that these women [speakers] have gone through,” Abrajan said.
Carmona and Abrajan spoke of the bond that develops among the girls at the conference, citing the collaborative and open process that happens throughout the day.
“When it comes to the conference, everyone feels very welcome, and it’s a very inclusive space,” Carmona said. “Working at this conference allowed me to grow as a leader in many ways. I’ve heard so many inspirational women at the workshops and have been able to apply what I’ve learned in my own life.”
The Marin Teen Girls Conference takes place from 8:30am-3pm on Sunday, March 2, at the Embassy Suites in San Rafael. Attendance is free, and breakfast and lunch will be provided. Registration ends Feb. 28. Visit marinteengirls.org to register and for more information.
