The owner of Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, Barbara Poma, will speak at UF next week for International Day of the Girl.
Poma will be the keynote speaker at the third annual She’s the First’s Day of the Girl summit, taking place at the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions on Oct. 22 at 11 a.m. The event is inspired by the U.N. International Day of the Girl Child, which raises awareness about global gender inequality.
Poma will discuss her work starting the OnePulse Foundation after the Pulse nightclub shooting in June 2016. The event will not be about the shooting, said Valentina Lopez, the UF She’s the First chapter president.
“Her appearance ties back to our goals of female empowerment and education, which she has always been an advocate for,” Lopez said.
Lopez, a 21-year-old UF marketing senior, said the event celebrates women and inspires people to take action.
Poma is scheduled to speak at 1:15 p.m. Presale tickets are $7 and $9 at the door for students with a Gator 1 Card. Community members can buy presale tickets for $14 or pay $18 at the door.
All of the money raised from the event will be used to sponsor scholarships for girls. Like the U.N., Lopez wants to remind everyone attending the event about the ultimate goal.
“It’s about the Day of the Girl,” she said.
Kyra St. George, a 19-year-old UF chemical engineering sophomore, just joined She’s the First and is looking forward to hearing Poma.
“I just think she’ll have insightful things to say for all of us to hear,” she said.
