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Women@Work starts their first semester as a student organization to share experiences and network in male-dominated workspaces.
Lynn Murray, associate dean of business and professor of marketing, started Women@Work (W@W) with her graduate assistants. The organization focuses on networking with business professional and sharing experiences to build confidence in women as they enter male-dominated work environments. W@W organized this Jan. with their first official meeting. They became a registered organization in Aug. and their first meeting this semester was Tuesday, Sept. 13. Carmen Kent, senior in marketing and president of W@W, gave the organization’s mission statement.
“This organization works to create awareness, educate, and provide resources to women to shatter the glass ceiling in the workforce by providing relevant speaker opportunities, workshops, mentorship, and professional development,” Kent said.
Jessie Leininger, senior in finance and economy and treasurer of Women@Work, said the organization is open to everyone, not just women and business students.
“While our organization name is Women at Work, we are not only a club for women, or business majors,” Leininger said. “The Women at Work organization is intended to bring together students interested in business, regardless of gender or major of study. We offer community events, guest speakers, and an opportunity to build relationships with fellow peers.”
They plan to hold their next Women at Work Luncheon on March 24, 2023. The organization plans to bring in women to network and share experiences with students. In past luncheons they brought four speakers to cover topics including work in male dominated areas, philanthropy, and financial independence. W@W said the topics are important for young people going into the workforce.
“I think a large goal was just like to help learn professional skills that we’ll need later on in some sort of workplace, and to create some relationships with other women and other people in the community, older or younger, just to help benefit ourselves and one another later on,” Kent said.
Sereniti Wright, senior in management, said Women@Work plans on networking with other student organizations supporting women such as Women in Stem.
“We are going to reach out to some of those organizations and just do different activities with them, figure out a way to network with them,” Wright said.
In the future Women@Work would like to network with more than just professionals.
“I think our goal eventually is to partner also with high school students; go out to their schools, they come here, get to see campus, get to see maybe what it’s like to be in a Business School and kind of give Pitt State that shout out,” Kent said. “As well as helping those students understand what their future could look like if they choose to come here,”
Students in Women@Work joined the organization with the intention of getting involved in the college of business and building connections with peers.
“I had no idea that I would become an executive member, but I felt that I had similar values to many of the girls, and I loved the mission that we were built upon…,” Leininger said. “Ultimately, I will feel much more confident when entering the professional workforce.”
