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Abbey Park celebrates International Women's Day by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver 3 | Thursday, March 10, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Although many high school students are unsure of their career aspirations, the road to finding the right career path will become more clear when they start making decisions. That is according to Cobi Ladner, creator of cobistyle -- a company comprised of cobi communication and cobi collection -- which cross-promotes content and home and lifestyle products. She is also a former editor of Chatelaine, Canadian Living and Canadian House & Home magazines. Ladner shared her lessons with the younger generation in a keynote address she delivered at Abbey Park High School's (APHS) fifth annual International Women's Day (IWD) Breakfast Tuesday (March 8). The event was organized by APHS' Young Women in Leadership Council to mark IWD, which celebrates the achievements of women while calling for greater equality. The leadership council discusses current events, spreads awareness throughout the school and hosts equality-related activities. "I'm very impressed with what you're doing here in Oakville. This is a really great event. I've never had quite such a young audience to talk to. It's fun for me because I got to think back a little bit to my journey to where I am today," said Ladner. A part of Ladner's talk focused on women reinventing themselves, as APHS girls are Abbey Park High School's Young Women In Leadership, (in front) Maarya Zafar, 15; Zara Parwaiz, 16; Kristen Doyle, 15; (in back, from left) Katie Daywalt, 15; Abby Hill, 15; Ryyan Ibrahim, 16; Maeve Crowne, 17; and Anna Brabender, 15, celebrated International Women's Day at the local high school Tuesday morning. | photo by Nikki Wesley ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) at a stage where they're going to formulate their careers "from scratch," she said. "You're going to invent something that is going to enrich your life. It's a very exciting time, but it can also be really daunting because you don't necessarily know what you want to invent." Ladner said many men reinvent themselves only once in their lives, but most women are "almost forced" to change constantly because of the numerous roles they obtain. "You start as a daughter and you play all these different roles. You go on to be a mother, and often, not always, you have a career and then you may leave your career," said Ladner. "You may be a stay-at-home mom or you may be a working mom and work through it. You might change your career completely from what you were educated in or what you thought you were going to do." The consistent changes in women's lives "keep morphing," which can be challenging, Ladner said. "I know a lot of women who get very challenged by what they're going to do next and they're not your age. They're in their 40s and beyond," said Ladner. The former editor began her career with the vision of becoming a television producer because a friend told her she would be a "good one and I listened," Ladner recalled. "In hindsight, it was very good advice because she had nothing to gain or lose from what I did. She knew me very well. She just thought, `That's who you are and you should do it,'" said Ladner. She encouraged students to listen to their friends who tell them they should follow a certain path. "I think that's good advice coming from your peers," she said. Ladner had "mixed feelings" when she see Hard on p.8 JANET'S AT HOME Let Janet look after your home while you are away. Customized programs designed to suit your needs. FREE 7-visit pass! BOOK NOW FOR MARCH BREAK Space is still available! www.janetsathome.ca · (905) 484-0732 · janet@janetsathome.ca Try the Y March 7-April 10 e r ' e w , Y e At th han just a gym. more t 905-845-3417 We're a community dedicated to helping you achieve greater health in every way. ymcaofoakville.org