Spring into Spring Cleaning

By Meg Maguire

On Groundhog Day 2020 a few weeks back, the infamous Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow. According to tradition, this means spring will come early this year! While we welcome the impending warm weather with open arms, we are less welcoming towards another one of spring’s trademarks; spring cleaning. College students, with their hectic lifestyles, often require a deeper cleaning. While this may cause some stress, here are some tips to make the process seamless... 

1) Sell last semesters textbook 

We all have that one textbook that sits on our shelves collecting dust. Occasionally it topples over, reminding us that it needs to be dealt with. Nevertheless, it's probably still there mocking you today. There are a few ways of tackling this problem. First, selling the textbook to another student who is either currently taking the class or are planning to in future semesters. This can be accomplished by posting on your class's Facebook page. Next, selling the textbook to eCampus. Visit the eCampus website, get a quote for your textbook, ship it with the provided shipping label, and get paid. Lastly, it may be time to get realistic. The fact is your textbook probably isn’t worth the $250 you paid originally. If selling isn’t worth the trouble, donate and support your local library! 

2) Update your resume 

After spring comes summer, and with summer comes summer internships. To put your best foot forward and give yourself a chance for that dream internship, it's time to revamp your resume. Anything from receiving a certification, landing a part-time job, or discovering a new interest can spark interest from potential employers. Additionally, take another look at your word choice. Make all your verbs action verbs and your adjectives power adjectives. Apart from additions, it may also be time for some subtractions. A general rule of thumb is including only what is relevant to the job you are applying, so it may be time to lose the camp counselor job you had freshman year of high school. 

3) Make next semesters game plan 

A part of cleaning up the present is planning for the future. Ease your worries by starting early. If studying abroad is on your radar, schedule a visit with the IPO office to discuss your options. If you are staying on campus, schedule a meeting with your academic advisor and sort out which requirements you have left to take. Getting a head start will alleviate anxieties about the future, spring cleaning your mind in a sense. 

Not everyone's version of spring cleaning is the same. Prioritize what you want to be done and break bigger tasks into smaller parts. The process is about self-improvement and setting up a productive future, not causing added stress. Take your time and have fun with it!

Is the Business Industry Lacking Women?

By: Lara Pereira

It is with no surprise that women have stepped up to the plate and succeeded in a male-dominated business industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2017, nearly 52% of all managers were women. It has been three years since that statistic launched and women are only moving up in the ladder of businesses and big corporations. However, there are still some fields of business where women are underrepresented.

Finance is a major field where women are underrepresented, specifically in financial analysis. In 2017, 39.6% of women held positions in the field; however in a research study conducted by a professor at the University of California Davis in 2019, he found that only 18% of finance jobs are occupied by women which is less than any STEM field. Jobs try not to discriminate by gender, so why are there so few women in finance? 

In the study, the professor found that there are some barriers that discourage women from entering the field. In being a very extensive and time-consuming field, it rewards those who work the longer, inflexible hours which often women are unable to do once family comes along with maternity (if applicable).

In Isenberg itself, only about 15% of finance majors are females. Although the number is increasing, it is still lower than other majors such as Marketing and Management in which women are taking up a little over 50%. Thanks to opportunities like Isenberg Women in Business, women are able to become more confident in conquering all types of fields within business as a whole. 

~
The present is crucial to a growing future. As women, it is our duty to empower each other in accomplishing the thought-to-be “impossible” and succeed collectively. In times as early as junior-high school, young girls need to be mentored on a number of fields that they could involve themselves in through programs and internships. Over the next few years, it is hopeful that big financial corporations will offer programs for young girls to become exposed to a field in which they are underrepresented to produce an entire generation of female financial game-changers!

Sources

https://gsm.ucdavis.edu/post/why-so-few-women-finance

https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-databook/2017/home.htm

How Mindfulness Translates to the Workplace

By: Payton Wright

During a time where self-help is an emerging trend, you have probably been force fed the idea of how important it is to practice mindfulness through meditation app advertisements, social media influencers, or that person you used to know in high school’s Facebook posts. And although I admit it is easy to brush off these assertions the fact of the matter is – practicing mindfulness yields positive results. That means being a better friend, a better student, and in terms of the internship hunting sophomore and juniors or soon-to-be-UMass-graduates, a better employee. Mindfulness is the basic ability we all have within us as humans to be fully present, aware of who we are, where we are, and what we are doing. So, you get it, somehow this mindfulness thing has the potential to improve your life, but let’s take a look at a few examples of exactly how.

Goodbye Distractions

Wandering thoughts and distractions are something that seemingly everyone suffers from. It can be difficult to stay focused on one thing at a time, especially in a society where notifications are dinging off everyone’s phones 24/7. Other than the obvious consequences of mind wandering like wasted time and incomplete goals, research has shown that people are less happy when their mind is not present. However, studies have also shown that practicing mindfulness reduces mind wandering (and in turn decreases unhappy moods). Less mind wandering means more time spent being productive resulting in a more efficient workday that ends with you leaving feeling accomplished!

Get Those Creative Juices Flowing 

If you think about it, it makes sense that a clear head makes way for a more creative mindset. When you are mindful, you root out the negative thoughts which makes room for ideas to roam around your head more freely. Ravi S. Kudesia, the author of Mindfulness and Creativity in the Workplace, explains the relationship between the two by stating that mindfulness “builds unique cognitive abilities that enable creativity in individuals that otherwise would be trapped in conventional ways of interpreting their world.” We live in a world that thrives off innovation, no matter what industry you are in or position you hold, thinking outside the box will set you apart and allow you to reach new heights!

Be in Control of Your Emotions

Being able to understand and process your emotions will not only help you be a better co-worker, but it can give you the interpersonal skills necessary to become an effective leader. When you practice mindfulness, you gain insight to your own mind and increase awareness to your body by simply taking the time to pay attention to the thoughts and motions you go through every day. By being better able to understand your own emotions, recognize those of the people around you, and improve the ability to control and use your emotions correctly you can expand your emotional intelligence. All of which will enable you to be a solid team-player and a more understanding and patient leader. 

Whether this post sold you or not on the benefits of mindfulness is not the point. But I hope that through reading this that you at least got to thinking about how much attention you currently pay to your own brain and body. To be the best friend, sister, daughter, employee, the best YOU has to start from a place of pure determination in yourself to start making conscious decisions that will better your life. Mindfulness is innate, all you need to do is pay attention.

Inspiration:

https://www.behavioralessentials.com/the-benefits-of-mindfulness-in-the-workplace/

https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/

WiB Alumni — Presidents Panel

Women in Business has grown tremendously in recent years to become one of the largest organizations in Isenberg consisting of well over 200 members. As a club, we focus on the development of our professional skills and empower each other as women indulging in our business careers. A huge reason why WIB has been so successful and enforces these mottos today is the work and talent of our past presidents. I have reached out to four of our past presidents to get an inside look on WIB and how it has impacted their lives in a positive way.

Sam Boardman: 2018-2019 

Carly Griffin: 2017-2018

Meghan Bates: 2016-2017 

Diana Ciccolini: 2015-2016 

1) What was Women in Business like when you were co-president?

Sam: 

Each and every year, Women in Business has grown to be even bigger and stronger than it was the year before. Last year, we focused on growing our online presence, launching a re-branding initiative and updating our website. Our marketing team even added a segment to the website that highlighted individual WiB members for their contributions and involvement. On social media, we sought out audience engagement--our three Marketing Eboard members did a fantastic job creating and posting content relevant to our current events and club mission. I don’t necessarily have a favorite memory from WiB, but what I really did love was the way certain EBoard members took ownership of their position. As leader, I sometimes felt my best bet was simply giving members the freedom to generate their own ideas and run with them.

As for the Women of Isenberg Conference, I can’t wait to see what is in store for this year! Last year, we had our second ticket sell out, along with our first ever first Diversity and Inclusion Campaign called #MoreThan. I have no doubt that the team has yet again taken it up another notch for this year’s event!

Carly: 

We had a fairly strong social media presence but this was the beginning (or early stages) of developing the website and blog. If I remember correctly the marketing committee was one of the largest committees in the club!

During my time as Co-President of WIB I was also VP of Operations for the Women of Isenberg Conference. This was the first sold out conference with over 440 attendees. During this year we really worked to get move involvement from the rest of the club in terms of Student Ambassadors and volunteers! We also worked to make sure all attendees were really prepared for the day in terms of what to bring etc so everyone was able to get the most out of the day.

I believe the club was over 250/300 members during the first semester (dying down as the year went on so I am not fully sure on total membership) and the e-board had maybe 10-18 eboard members!

Meghan: 

We had a pretty solid online presence both in terms of the social media and the website. The blog was still growing, and a big initiative that my co-president and I (Liz Imbrogna) undertook was re-strategizing around how to best use the blog, which types of content to feature, etc. In terms of social media, the summer leading into our presidency, we launched the “WiBSummer2016” campaign on Instagram and challenged our members with posting about their summer adventures, study abroad, internships, etc. The best post won a gift card, and we got to display all the amazing things our members did with their summers.

We were in our 4th year of the WOI Conference, so we had a pretty solid foundation to work off of with the work the past co-chairs had done over the year. It was only the 2nd year that the conference took place in the Campus Center, so we were still working hard to iron out the kinks and work through the challenges and opportunities that holding an event in such a large space presented. We moved from 2 keynote speakers, which we did for 3 years, to only 1- Karyn Schoenbart- who was fantastic, and we really liked the format of the conference that way since it allowed us to really highlight that speaker and give our sponsors another opportunity for a panel at the end of the day. We completely sold out for the first time ever, which was an incredible feeling!! The conference was really gaining steam and recognition throughout Isenberg and all across campus, but it certainly had room for growth- it was such a cool time to be involved!   

Our eboard was probably about 10 people, and we had over 200 active members- we were one of the largest clubs in Isenberg by a mile!! I’m sure it’s grown since then, but, again, it was such a cool time because the conference put WiB on the map and our membership numbers were growing rapidly as a result. 

Diana: 

I was co-president of WIB my Senior year at UMass from 2015-2016. Women in Business was just starting to grow at this point with over 100 members of our club and weekly meetings every Monday evening. Our online presence was just starting to boom as we started some internal sub-groups that would become committees for many initiatives including our website and social media. WiB's EBoard consisted of 11 women, including myself and co-president Casey Gover. We were a tight knit group that really enjoyed working with each other.

Additionally, I was also a lead member of  the planning committee for the third annual WOI conference. We had over 300 attendees which was our largest turnout yet! Our keynote speakers were Laurie Stroll, President and Owner of Newport Hospitality, and Kate Edwards, owner of Kate Edwards Consulting. We had panel discussions featuring industry professionals (both alumni and non-alumni) and Isenberg professors which explored a variety of topics including leadership styles, negotiating, sustainability and social responsibility, media literacy, entrepreneurship, managing personalities, technology, social media, hospitality, concerns of young professionals, and more. Looking back, I am so proud of how much WOI has grown since I have graduated.

2) What inspired you to be a co-president of WiB?

Carly:

I remember my freshman year and listening to Lauren and Abby talk about their experiences in WIB during the first meeting and I looked up to them. Hearing about the conference, networking with professionals, and finding that support system to navigate college with - I was hooked! Through the following few years my experience continued to get better and better. I had found my sounding board! The senior members of the club were always there to answer questions and bounce ideas off of - they had been there before and were willing to help me with anything. With that experience, how could I not want to be co-president! I wanted to give back what those before me had given me! I wanted to help build those friendships and mentorships!

Meghan: 

Abby Wells & Lauren Casaceli, for sure. They were co-presidents when my roommate, best friend, and future Co-Chair of the Women of Isenberg Conference were sophomores, and they were leading the club while simultaneously putting on the 2nd annual WOI Conference. I remember being so deeply inspired by them- their hard work, dedication, passion, and unrelenting positive attitudes were everything I wanted to cultivate in myself as a leader. They made it look easy!

Diana:

As a freshman, I joined WiB not knowing a single person in the club and looked up to the presidents at the time hoping one day I would be up there leading the pack. Seeing the passion and commitment of the past presidents inspired me to run for the position when it was my turn. I wouldn't have wanted to co-lead the group with anyone other than Casey Gover. She was an amazing partner in the success of our club.

3) What was your favorite memory of WiB?

Carly:

 I have so many to choose from! I loved the Berk Dinners - it was such a great chance to meet new people and talk in a way that wasn't always available during the normal meeting times! I also loved participating in the Women of Isenberg Conference! Being a part of something so incredible was so impactful and rewarding!

Meghan: 

My favorite memory is a tie between closing out the 4th annual WOI Conference with Crissy and the 2016 WiB Ugly Sweater Christmas Party! I think it speaks to the fact that WiB gave me some of the best in both professional and personal memories of my college career. WiB is so unique in that respect- it allows you to grow, change, and develop professionally AND personally.

Diana:

My favorite memory of WiB is really the connections that were made throughout the 4 years I was involved. Our final meeting with our members was very bittersweet. We grew so close to the EBoard and connected with so many students that these friendships still exist to this day!

4) What did you learn or take away from WIB going into the workplace?

Sam:

My company, Signature Consultants, has recently hired their first female executive, Lydia Wilson. I know, we could have done better, but realizing that “the big guys” have recognized that we need to do more and have given her a seat at the tables shows me that we have made the first steps in the right direction. When I heard that Lydia would be visiting our Boston office from across the country, I knew that I needed to make an impression. I managed to tag along to lunch with Lydia that day, along with other boss ladies in my company, to learn more about here role and goals for this company. We shared stories of subtle sexism in the workplace, and she relayed some of her unique experiences about being “the woman” in the room. My passion for her work and attitude clearly shined through, as she reached out to me the following day with a personal note; an invitation to continue our conversation. She me know that she will be leading our company’s first enterprise wide Diversity, Equity, and inclusion initiatives, and expressed that she wanted to hear more about me and my experiences. Needless to say, we have our first conference call on Friday.

My involvement in WiB gave me the confidence to simply walk up to Lydia and shake her hand. As an underclassman, that “Lydia” could have simply been one of the leaders in Women in Business. Presidents before me provided me with opportunities to acquire new perspectives and stories to help shape my own academic life and career. I was inspired to take on a leadership position as Co-President for the 2018-2019 academic year simply because I believe in giving others the support, knowledge, and motivation to rise above, surpassing not only society’s expectation for them but also their own. I wanted to use my voice to assure others were heard and not left behind; that their progress was not halted by barriers more frequently faced by women and minorities. 

Carly:

Some of the small things I learned that I use on an almost daily basis are as simple as writing out emails and talking to professionals on the phone! These seem like such basic skills but I was able develop them in a comfortable environment so that when I was networking it no longer felt uncomfortable!That was one of the biggest parts of WIB was that it created an environment that allowed me to develop these skills!

Meghan:

I learned the importance of female mentorship and friendship. Women only grow with the help of other women guiding them, influencing them, and inspiring them. When one women achieves something great, we all achieve something great. Its so important in the workplace to both seek out the mentorship of females and act as a mentor to other females. Girl power!!

Diana: 

WiB has taught me to speak up for myself in the work place. Ask for that raise, take credit for your work, and never be afraid to sit at the table and join the conversation :)

Small Things to get through a Big Week

By Maggie O’Donnell

When everyone back at home is getting in the holiday spirit, it makes the idea of finals week much harder to think about. The thought of sitting down for 2 hours to take the exam you’ve been losing sleep over is nothing compared to the thought of sleeping in your own bed. But, nevertheless, here we are about to put all our hard work to the test and it’s the little things we can do to make this week a little more tolerable. 

     First, and this is probably the most repetitive piece of advice I’ve received—but it’s helped the most: get a good night's sleep, or just sleep in general. Find the time  to go to bed early or even get an extra hour in the morning or even take a power nap. The work you get done well rested is going to be much more beneficial to you in the long run as opposed to sloppy, overtired work. 

     During exams, it’s also so easy to become a hermit and isolate yourself from friends just to power through work. But, sometimes this really takes a toll on your mental health which leads to poor effect on your work and your ability to sit and take the test. Take and hour or two out of the day to either grab food with a friend or get a study-buddy from one of your classes. This can add some fun to your week and hopefully distract from those never ending to-do lists you’ve been making. 

    Especially in Amherst, it’s easy to find a change of scenery. Being locked up in the library, dorm room, and review sessions can become overwhelming and sometimes even distracting if you’ve been stuck in the same place for long hours of the day. Also, these are areas that are usually very bland which can put you in a bad mental state—not ideal for studying and getting work done. My personal favorite change is going to the Isenberg building and getting a spot in one of the light blue chairs by the window. Another suggestion is to make a trip to Amherst Center and try one of the awesome coffee shops great for getting work done. The bus is great but it’s less than a 20 minute walk from Southwest (which is an added benefit of being outside). 

     Finally, make an effort to check in on how you are. Take note of your stress and make time, even just 15 mins, to do things that you actually enjoy. A good study tip I’ve learned is to study for 20 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. This helps me so that my brain isn’t fried and I can thoroughly get my work done. 

     These small things are just the start of them—this week is already starting to be stressful but stay positive by taking a few of these suggestions for our big week ahead. Break is just around the corner!