Honolulu Star Bulletin - Teenage Girls Gain Confidence at Zonta Club’s Magnificent Me Conference

Nearly 100 middle school students gathered at the University of Hawaii at Hilo last Friday for the Zonta Club of Hilo’s eighth Magnificent Me conference, a half-day event designed to help young women build self-confidence, develop essential life skills, and establish future goals.

Dani Bartz, a doctoral student in marine biology at the University of Hawaii Manoa, served as the keynote speaker. She shared her personal journey with the audience, emphasizing that while circumstances can create real and unfair barriers, they do not define a person's potential.

"Your circumstances can affect the opportunities that you have, and some barriers are real and unfair, and overcoming them can require support," Bartz told the attendees. "But where you start does not tell the whole story of where you can go. So, ask for help, find your people, build your dream team. You don’t have to do this all alone."

Bartz’s advice was grounded in her own experiences within the STEM field. She received a STEM award from the Zonta Club of Hilo in 2025 and was subsequently recognized by Zonta International, the global organization dedicated to empowering women through its worldwide chapters. Her research focuses on sharks in Hilo Bay, a path she described as challenging but ultimately rewarding.

"Eventually, all that energy that I put into all those little baby steps started paying off," Bartz said. "I began getting recognized for my research. I won awards and gave talks all over the world. I filmed a shark documentary, something that childhood Dani could have only dreamed of."

Despite her professional achievements, Bartz acknowledged that success does not automatically eliminate self-doubt. She noted that she still occasionally feels inadequate but has learned to manage those feelings rather than letting them dictate her actions.

"Success doesn’t automatically erase self-doubt," she said. "I still sometimes feel like I’m not good enough. I’ve just gotten better at not letting those feelings take the wheel, not letting feelings of fear or inadequacy steer my direction."

Bartz previously helped run workshops at last year’s conference and expressed that she viewed the event as a meaningful way to encourage girls to believe in themselves. She highlighted that early adolescence is a critical period for such interventions.

"I think this age is when girls are really susceptible and vulnerable to getting this kind of impact," Bartz said after her speech. "So, the whole theme of the conference is inspiring confidence, and you know, that’s something I’ve had my own journey with. It doesn’t come overnight; it comes from trying really hard things and making it through on the other end."

She admitted to feeling terrified before taking the stage again this year but felt compelled to set an example by facing her fears.

"Honestly, as the keynote speaker, I was scared to death. It was terrifying," Bartz said. "But I just knew that to set an example, you really just have to walk the walk and be that example and do that hard thing."

Nina Buchanan of the Zonta Club of Hilo explained that the conference originated from a desire to support girls during a vulnerable transition period.

"Joan Shafer, one of our members, international business consultant, and a group of us decided, well, we needed to do something for middle school girls, because there is that fear of going into high school, and you have to be prepared," Buchanan said.

Each year, local school counselors select students who they believe would benefit most from the program. The event also includes workshops for school staff while student attendees are divided into groups for various activities. According to Buchanan, the conference evolves annually based on feedback and evaluations from previous sessions.

"Every year, we tweak it according to the evaluations, and we try to make it better," Buchanan said. "And so it is a labor of love."

M.Akona--HStB