Women in Business Mean Business
The Women in Business student organization continues to provide its members with personal and professional development opportunities to foster growth.
Many student organizations at San Diego State University have continued to operate effectively, host professional events, and engage with the community through virtual platforms, despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
SDSU’s Women in Business (WIB) is one of them, hosting a variety of virtual workshops to help its members develop professionally. Resources include information sessions on LinkedIn, interviewing skills, and finding internships.
Junior integrated marketing communications major Michelle Cai, president of WIB, said she joined the student organization to take a step outside of her comfort zone and to continue to grow personally and professionally.
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“My best decisions yet at SDSU have been just going for it and trying new experiences to meet others and build my network,” said Cai. “Being involved as a student leader has allowed me to meet so many new people with different experiences and backgrounds. I’m really happy I get to share my passions, advice, and life lessons with so many different students and individuals across campus.”
The SDSU News Team spoke to Cai to discuss the organization’s virtual opportunities, why students should join, and how WIB has impacted her leadership experience.
What events, gatherings, and activities does Women in Business host?
Women in Business informs, engages, and guides our members to leadership and career opportunities because we believe in their potential to make a difference. We have professional development and networking events, along with virtual socials to allow our members to connect with each other and gain an expansive network of like-minded individuals.
How does WIB connect with the community outside of SDSU?
We connect with the community outside of SDSU by reaching out to organizations and companies and asking them to come speak at our meetings and events. Some companies and organizations that we have partnered with include Adobe, the ZIP Launchpad, and Career Broker Mentoring. One of our larger projects includes assisting in the planning and funding of the Women in Leadership conference held during the spring semester. Members of our executive board provide feedback and insight into the development of the conference and reach out to female business leaders asking them to speak at the event.
Why should students join WIB?
Students should join Women in Business because we have managed to foster a welcoming, dedicated community of women amidst a pandemic. In addition to this, we provide our members numerous resources including a Google sheet listing common classes shared among members to allow them to form virtual study groups and develop personal relationships. We are open to all majors and all are welcome to join.
How can a student get involved with WIB?
Students can visit our website sdsuwib.org and fill out our membership application. Our meetings are Mondays at 4 p.m. We invite all who are interested to attend two general body meetings to see how Women in Business runs and what type of topics we discuss at our meetings.
What experience with your organization has been the most impactful?
The experience that has been most impactful with Women in Business is seeing the growth in members, even with a global pandemic happening. It’s been so amazing meeting all the new members and growing almost 300% in a virtual semester. Although never meeting our active members and even some of my executive board in person, I’ve grown impactful relationships learning from them, being able to lean on them for support, and having strong-minded women in my network.
What has been your favorite SDSU memory so far?
My favorite SDSU memory has been attending the Women in Entrepreneurship and Leadership event in February 2020. I had the chance to take over the Fowler College of Business’ Instagram and show all of our students such an empowering event that was being hosted right inside our own Student Union. An important lesson I learned at the event was to break barriers for myself and to continue to withstand adversity in the workplace and society. There is beauty in the struggle, and hard work does not come easy.
What career aspirations do you have following your time at SDSU?
To be honest, I’m not completely set on a specific career following my time at SDSU. I want to find work in product management or recruitment to continue my interests in educating individuals through a creative outlet. I also am looking forward to attending graduate school for education and student affairs to eventually work for a non-profit organization to help at-risk youth and students.
