Valerie Nguyen is grinning, a state she seems naturally in. She possesses her microphone in confidence, always quick to add wisdom during a lull in conversation, but never quick to cut someone else off who is making a point. Rail thin and 5'6", her essence seems to somehow bubble out of her with an energy that fills the room. Her wit is sharp and her advice is pointed, no doubt honed from years of considering the questions and topics we are navigating through at the Flock panel event she is hosting with the help of four other established women. Isms and words to live by seem to come out of her in droves, and I try my best to keep up with her as quickly as possible. “A great tool to use if you want to be a good ally is WAIT, which is short for Why Am I Talking. Think about what you are adding to the conversation and whether you have let the other person speak.” I laugh out loud but her words still ring true, so much so they bounce around my head for the duration of the week. “Ask for what you want,” she says, “at Wolf and Wilhemine, we have a rule where you won’t even be considered for a raise if you don’t ask for it. We think it’s important to teach people to ask for what they want.” Believing in something is one thing, but doubling down on it is something completely different. I am completely in awe. She leaves me especially blown away with one of her final statements “if you want to be a producer, make something. If you want to be a writer, write. Make it your business and it will become your business.”

Caden Bohn #uonyc