‘Quien te apoya a ti como mujer’
Saturday’s gathering will break from the mold of a traditional business conference. Alongside panel conversations and peer-led discussions, the day will offer moments of celebration, a reminder that success in business includes joy, identity and culture.
“Just like we’d hope that women take their ‘me days’ and go to the spa, go on a walk, go to the gym … we kind of want that to be one of those days, too,” said Katy Castillo, La Plaza’s marketing consultant.
The summit’s schedule reflects the many roles Latina women hold — not just as entrepreneurs, but as caregivers, creatives and silent partners in family-run businesses. From branding strategies to personal storytelling, the event is designed to validate every type of contribution, seen or unseen.
“Quién te apoya a ti como mujer?”, ella dijo. “Y por eso estamos aquí para divertirnos, para iluminarte, para darte una palmadita en la espalda y celebrarlo. Es hermoso. Creo que aspiramos a algo hermoso durante el evento.”
“Who supports you as a woman?” she said. “And so that’s why it’s like, we’re here to have fun, we’re here to shine the light of you, you know, give yourself a pat on the back and let’s celebrate that. You know, it’s beautiful. I think we’re aiming at something beautiful during the event.”
The lineup includes prominent figures like Dr. Guillermina Gonzalez, chair of Wilmington University’s business administration program, and Margie López-Waite, CEO of Las Américas ASPIRA Academy, alongside local entrepreneurs who have built their businesses from the ground up — adding grassroots perspective to institutional experience.
“This is for everybody,” Dupont said. “New arrivals, first-generation, second-generation … what they all have in common is the experience of being a woman, and of having the struggle and having to really fight to get ahead and to be somebody and to be recognized and acknowledged.”
“Instead of having some of the long-term Latina leaders in the state be keynote speakers, have the floor to themselves, we decided to integrate them with a panel of women from the community,” she added. “So that it’s about women sharing knowledge and experience and airtime with each other.”
