Internship Panel Next Meeting!

March 30, 2022 Isenberg WiB

Hi everyone!

We hope you all enjoyed Monday's amazing meeting with Amy Pocsik, where we learned all about the power of owning our own path and building a personal brand. Be sure to follow her business, @womensbusinessleague, on Instagram and connect with Amy on LinkedIn!

Next Monday, April 4th, at 7pm in Isenberg 137 (Flavin Auditorium), we will be holding an internship panel filled with some of our E-Board and WiB members! They will give lots of great advice and insight into the application and interview process as well as how to make the most out of your internship! Come prepared with any questions you may have regarding internships!

We will be live streaming on Zoom for our virtual members to attend:

Zoom Link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/92299580036
Meeting ID: 922 9958 0036

WiB Etiquette Dinner - We are so excited to announce our upcoming WiB Etiquette Dinner this semester! This is an amazing opportunity to learn how to professionally eat, speak, dress, and communicate at a business dinner!

Our dinner will be hosted by Jenafer Kazunas and led by HTM Professor Melissa Baker! It will take place on Tuesday, April 5th from 5:30 - 8:00 PM in the Marriott Center (in the Campus Center / UMass Hotel). The cost of this event is $15 per person. Please secure your spot here! *This form is binding: once you fill it out, you are financially responsible*

Please note that only the first 50 people who sign up can attend. There are only 9 spots left, so be sure to sign up ASAP if you are interested!

WiB Spring Fling - We are so excited to announce that we will be holding another WiB formal! WiB Spring Fling will be held at Monkey Bar Amherst on Thursday, April 14th from 10:30pm to 1:00am. All WiB members and friends are welcome to join us for a night of dancing and fun!

Please fill out this form by 4/3 to claim your spot. The cost will be $20 per person and spots will be first come, first serve. Venmo @Tess_Leonard with your full name in the description to complete your payment. There are only 20 spots left, so sign up ASAP! If we reach our 160 person capacity, we will offer a waitlist in case any spots open up! Once we receive your responses, we will be in contact for waiver information.

Please contact teleonard@umass.edu or achinai@umass.edu with any questions. We can’t wait to see you all there!

WiB Merch - Our merch for this semester is now available to purchase! If you are interested in purchasing a hoodie, please fill out this form in its entirety to confirm your order. Please note that this form in BINDING, so only fill it out if you will commit to purchasing the hoodie! We will be collecting payments after orders are closed via Venmo. We will be taking orders until Sunday, April 3rd.

WiB E-Board Applications - Reminder that the Isenberg Women in Business Executive Board applications for the 2022-2023 academic year are now open! The applications will close on Monday, April 4th at 11:59PM.

We encourage members who are committed and passionate about WiB, are willing to devote their time to helping WiB grow, and are interested in contributing new and exciting ideas for the club to apply! You can read up on the open positions and apply here.

Why WiB Wednesday - Fill out this form to be featured on the Instagram for "Why WiB Wednesday"! We want to show off our members by sharing what they love most about being a part of WiB!

Committee Sign-Ups and Reminders:

Fundraising Committee - To sign up for the fundraising committee, click here!
Community Service Committee - Please sign up here for the community service committee!
Marketing Committee - Sign up here for the marketing committee. Our next meeting will be on April 7th!
Peer Mentorship - Our next event is April 6th from 7 - 8 PM in the Hub! This will be a class registration help so please be in touch with your mentees and mentors!

Watch Monday's Meeting by Clicking Here:

Be sure to follow our social media accounts for more frequent updates, Instagram specifically (@IsenbergWiB), and check out our website here!

Additional Opportunities

MAIF Applications
The Minuteman Alternative Investment Fund operates as one of Isenberg's three student-led investment groups, with an emphasis on a hedge fund style structure wherein there is both a Long/Short group and a Derivatives team. Students apply and interview into the fund primarily because they are looking to build skill sets and networks to later pursue careers within Investment Banking, Asset Managment, Private Equity, and Sales & Trading among other fields. There is a 100% placement rate on Wall Street for graduating seniors, and MAIF is opening up applications, where they are looking for Freshman and Sophomores to apply for the Fall 2022 semester.

Applications are due by no later than 11:59 pm on April 6th. Application questions and attached case study can be found here. If you have trouble accessing the document please contact Maif.umass@gmail.com to be sent the application directly. Please note that Juniors and Seniors need not apply; if you are an upperclassman interested in one of Isenberg's three funds please contact MFIF and MEF leadership directly to discuss opportunities with them.

MAIF Public Pitch Event
As a means of giving the student body more familiarity with the fund MAIF is going to be hosting a public pitch event on April 7th from 6:30-8:00pm in ISOM N145. At this event we will discuss the fund, opportunities afforded to kids who gain entrance into the fund, and after the Long/Short Portfolio Manager pitches, the floor will open up to let attendees network with current fund members and enjoy refreshments. Dress code is Business Professional. MAIF is asking those that are interested in attending to RSVP here.

Smart Women Securities
SWS is hosting an event on April 13th from 5:30 - 7:45 PM in Flavin Auditorium where they will have a screening of the documentary $AVVY and learn why it's critical for young women to understand and take control of their personal finances. Following the screening will be a live Q&A with Dean Anne Massey and the film's producer, Robin Hauser, which will be moderated by Smart Women Securities. Register here!

Women Entrepreneurship UMass
Women Entrepreneurship (WE) is a non-profit organization that promotes entrepreneurship among young women and offers entrepreneurship programs at leading academic institutions. WE UMass meets weekly on Wednesdays at 8 PM over Zoom. Our meetings feature entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders in a variety of industries that speak to us about building a personal brand, marketing and fundraising for a business, or sharing their stories. This semester you can look forward to three different panels on Food Tech, BioTech, and Fashion. To learn more, please sign up for their email list here.

My Self-Care Staples

March 30, 2022 Isenberg WiB

By: Karta Khalsa

If you know me, you know how much I value my self-care. Whether it be a nighttime skincare ritual or splurging on a product that makes me feel good, I am a big believer in the importance of treating yourself and setting aside time every night for relaxation, especially considering the crazy and stressful lives we tend to live as college students. Here are a few of my current essential self-care staples; these products help me feel calm, clean, and overall make me love my nighttime routine as much as I do!

1.Farmacy Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer

This particular moisturizer is on the more expensive end, but it is worth it if you like to splurge on skincare. Although it looks very thick at first, this moisturizer melts into my skin like butter and has a yummy honey aroma, just like the name suggests. I used to steer away from super moisturizing products for fear of breaking out, but I have found over the years that the more I moisturize, the better my skin looks and feels. I love to use it on nights when I am doing a more ~boujee~ skincare routine, and I always wake up glowing.

2. Tonymoly Sheet Masks

Over the past year, I have grown to love a good moisturizing sheet mask. Specifically, I have been loving the Tonymoly brand because they are affordable and leave my face feeling insanely soft and moisturized the next morning! Especially in the winter when it tends to be dryer and more irritated than usual, these have been a lifesaver, and the adorable packaging is a plus. I suggest popping them in the fridge beforehand or running an ice cube over your face while you have the mask on for an extra refreshing and de-puffing sensation!

3. Vaseline Original Chapstick

Sometimes, it is best to stick to the basics. I have always been a Vaseline enthusiast, and I will never travel anywhere without packing my tub of it. This past semester at school, my roommate introduced me to Vaseline in chapstick form! I cannot believe I never knew it existed, but I am so glad that I found out. You can get a two-pack at Target for just $2.49 and for some reason, this chapstick is so incredibly comforting to use. Over the years I have used all types of different lip masks and chapsticks, but as I said before, nothing beats the original.

4. Lavender FOG - Aromatherapy Spray Mist

Like it says on the Lavender Life Company website, “all-natural lavender spray mist is made with organic lavender and smells absolutely heavenly!”, and I couldn’t agree more. This particular company makes hand-crafted spray bottles filled with distilled water, a blend of Bulgarian lavender, palmarosa, eucalyptus, and rose essential oils from their farm in Michigan. I love giving my pillow and bedding a spritz of this before I get in bed because it smells great and helps me relax before going to sleep. This brand is one of my favorites, but there are definitely other lavender sprays out there on the market to experiment with, and I highly recommend adding this detail to your bedtime routine for some extra relaxation!

5. Sleepytime Extra Tea

Made with a blend of chamomile, spearmint, valerian, and other soothing herbs, enjoying a warm cup of Sleepytime tea has been a cozy addition to my night. One of the best feelings has been crawling into bed after a long day, watching a movie or show, and sipping my tea while I wind down. I can confidently say that this particular tea helps me sleep because I usually end up dozing off before I’m able to finish the whole cup!

Mindfulness and Productivity During a Chaotic Spring

March 28, 2022 Isenberg WiB

By: Lisa Freeley

We all know the feeling. Spring break gave us a blissful taste of Summer but now it's time to wake up and revive your routine. It may feel a bit like a slap in the face, but there are still ways to appreciate the Springtime and maintain a mindful and productive headspace with Summer just around the corner.

Personally, I have always used the future as my primary motivator for getting sh*t done in the present. The future is a beautiful thing. So much opportunity and potential for growth lies in the future. If I am ever struggling or generally feeling low, I try to imagine aspects of my future that I can look forward to. Whether that means planning a day trip with friends, setting goals for myself, or simply looking forward to the next three-day weekend, there is ALWAYS something relaxing and rewarding that awaits you.

A productive habit that goes hand-in-hand with this is goal setting. Without goals, the day-to-day routine of life can begin to feel rather pointless. Sometimes I get caught up in this feeling and the mindset that my everyday actions have no meaning, which often leads to a depressive mindset and a complete lack of motivation. This is why it is so important to remind yourself of what you are working towards. For some, their goals are set out and clear in their minds, however, if you are like me, you might have difficulty with this. If you are struggling to figure out exactly what your goals are, I recommend journaling or designing a vision board.

Over the summer while cleaning out my family’s basement, I found a vision board that my mother’s friend made for her in college. It included her goals for where she wanted to live and work in the future, representations of her current and sought-after lifestyle, and imagery of various aspects of life that brought her happiness. This summer I plan to make a similar board for myself, as I feel that creativity and valuable ideas can sometimes get lost in a cluster of thoughts. Creating something concrete and admirable out of your ideas can help you see them from a new and more optimistic perspective. This can also be accomplished through journaling. Any strategy that helps you to visualize yourself and the direction you wish to go in life will help you set goals and go through each day with a sense of purpose.

My last piece of advice for bettering your mindset and overall productivity is to work on improving your internal dialogue. Negative self-talk is something that I am still working through myself, and simply speaking to yourself with kindness and compassion is so much easier said than done. One major way I have been able to combat negative self-talk is by recognizing those thoughts and contradicting them in that moment. This can be tricky because I tend to bully myself in my mind almost subconsciously, but whenever I start to notice these thoughts, I recall a time when I felt confident and sure of myself and counter the thought with three self-assured statements that I know to be true. Another way that I work against negative self-talk is by listening to podcasts. I have recently started listening to “Anything Goes” by Emma Chamberlain and have found it difficult to think negatively in general when listening to someone speak positively and thoughtfully about life. I would recommend podcasts to anyone who struggles with negative thoughts as this is a productive form of entertainment that can easily be incorporated into your daily routine.

There are plenty of effective ways to improve your mindset, but these have personally been instrumental in my own mindfulness journey. That said, you must nourish your present self in order to fully enjoy and appreciate whatever the future holds, so be kind to yourself and set goals for yourself because your role in the world is important and you have the power to create meaningful change.

Amy Pocsik Tomorrow!

March 27, 2022 Isenberg WiB

Hi everyone!

Tomorrow, Monday, March 28th, at 7pm in Isenberg 137 (Flavin Auditorium), Amy Pocsik, CEO and Co-Founder of Women's Business League, will be running a meeting on the "Power of Owning Your Path & Building Your Personal Brand". Please come with any questions you may have for her!

We will be live streaming on Zoom for our virtual members to attend:

Zoom Link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/92299580036
Meeting ID: 922 9958 0036

WiB X KPhiG Networking Event - Join us for a networking workshop with Kappa Phi Gamma! Craft your elevator pitch and practice your networking skills in a fun environment with other professional women. KPhiG x WiB Networking Night will take place on Tuesday, March 29th at 7 pm in the ILC (Room TBD). RSVP here!

WiB Spring Fling - We are so excited to announce that we will be holding another WiB formal! WiB Spring Fling will be held at Monkey Bar Amherst on Thursday, April 14th from 10:30pm to 1:00am. All WiB members and friends are welcome to join us for a night of dancing and fun!

Please fill out this form by 4/3 to claim your spot. The cost will be $20 per person and spots will be first come, first serve. Venmo @Tess_Leonard with your full name in the description to complete your payment. If we reach our 160 person capacity, we will offer a waitlist in case any spots open up! Once we receive your responses, we will be in contact for waiver information.

Please contact teleonard@umass.edu or achinai@umass.edu with any questions. We can’t wait to see you all there!

WiB E-Board Applications - Reminder that the Isenberg Women in Business Executive Board applications for the 2022-2023 academic year are now open! The applications will close on Monday, April 4th at 11:59PM.

We encourage members who are committed and passionate about WiB, are willing to devote their time to helping WiB grow, and are interested in contributing new and exciting ideas for the club to apply! You can read up on the open positions and apply here.

Why WiB Wednesday - Fill out this form to be featured on the Instagram for "Why WiB Wednesday"! We want to show off our members by sharing what they love most about being a part of WiB!

Women of Isenberg Application - Interested in being on the Women of Isenberg Planning Committee for the 2023 WoI Conference? Join the team and help plan the 10th Annual Women of Isenberg Conference that will be held on February 25, 2023.

The Women of Isenberg Planning Committee includes positions in Marketing and Communications, Operations and Event Management, Community Outreach, and Sponsorship and Finance. This is an incredible opportunity to expand your network, get hands-on experience in event planning, enhance your professional communication skills, and become involved in a renowned organization on campus. Please keep in mind that the time commitment of the team is extensive and roughly 10 hours a week during the summer and fall and picks up to 20-25 hours a week during Winter Break and until the 2023 Conference.

Applications will be open until TONIGHT, March 27th. Apply here! Email the womenofisenberg@isenberg.umass.edu with any questions regarding the team or application process.

Committee Sign-Ups and Reminders:

Fundraising Committee - To sign up for the fundraising committee, click here!
Community Service Committee - Please sign up here for the community service committee!
Marketing Committee - Sign up here for the marketing committee. Our next meeting will be on April 7th!

Be sure to follow our social media accounts for more frequent updates, Instagram specifically (@IsenbergWiB), and check out our website here!

Additional Opportunities

“Read the Card First”: How Expressive Writing Can Make You a More Positive Person

March 25, 2022 Isenberg WiB

By: Kylie Acerra

Greeting Cards, a monetary item given from one person to another with the purpose of celebrating or giving the other support. The importance of greeting cards lies within the purpose, but the intentions change per person. Consumers buy them in order to express positive emotions, but producers sell them in order to make a profit. To provide some examples of events in which greeting card companies profit would include: birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, graduations, injuries or illness, and death. Out of these events, the cards that sell the most are birthday cards followed up by sympathy cards. For the consumer, they are celebrating a loved one’s life and consoling a loved one; for the producer, they are profiting the most off of both life and death. To have positivity in your life you need to stay the consumer, positively keeping others in mind, not the producer, negatively gaining off of others’ loss. Having a parallel connection to life, greeting cards either focus on life or focus on death. The cards that celebrate life, birthday cards, “are still the best-selling card type, accounting for more than half of the total cards sold” (Greeting Card Association). Hence, in life, it pays more to support the positive over the negative.

Being a very profitable industry, the “annual retail sales of greeting cards are estimated between $7 and $8 billion” given “Americans purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year” (Greeting Card Association). Because Americans pay an extensive amount on greeting cards, Americans stand to save a lot of money if they create them themselves. As children, one does not have the ability to go out and purchase a pre-made card, so they are forced to use their creative side to express emotion. People not only stand to save money by making cards themselves but also benefit psychologically. Writing a card forces you to express your emotion in your own words, not Hallmarks’, and think about another person in your life. Now, if we as humans can write support for others, then we can definitely write support for ourselves. Moreover, a study done by psychologist Adam Grant demonstrates how “expressive writing has also been linked to improved mood, well-being, and reduced stress levels for those who do it regularly” (Ciotti). The idea is that if a person continually writes positive thoughts and words of self-encouragement, then they are more likely to believe and assimilate those positive thoughts into their everyday actions.

With writing being a catalyst of self-positivity, I challenge whoever is reading this post to try positive self-reflection journaling. Furthermore, I recognize people have busy schedules and may not have the time to sit down and write a page about themselves. I assure you this challenge will not take more than five minutes a day. I also recognize that the task of writing about oneself is difficult because in our society the idea of complementing yourself has been ingrained as an action of selfishness. I assure you complimenting yourself and finding self-confidence is not selfish, but rather selfless. If one possesses a more positive view of themselves then they can use that positivity to express kindness to others.

Take out a piece of paper. Fold it in half. Bring out your colored pencils and transform into a child again. Seeing bright colors will provide you with more energy. Draw an image of something you love. The first thing you see on the card is something that brings you happiness. On the inside write down three things you like about yourself or three positive events that happened to you today. By doing this task daily, you will focus your mind to focus on the positive and connect the idea of yourself with positivity. To take this challenge one step further place your cards in the same location daily. At the beginning of each day, read a card or two. By reading the card first- before opening your phone to social media, a sole producer of self-consciousness, and before having the time to construct a negative thought- you can start your day with a positive mindset. Read the card first because the positive words might just influence how you perceive the gift.

Sources:

Ciotti, Gregory. “The Psychological Benefits of Writing - Help Scout.” Help Scout: Shared Inbox, Help Center, & Live Chat Software, Help Scout, 20 Apr. 2016, https://www.helpscout.com/blog/benefits-of-writing/.

“Greeting Cards Info to Know - Greeting Card Association.” Greeting Cards- Info to Know, Greeting Card Association, 1 Feb. 2020, https://www.greetingcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Greeting-Card-Facts-2020.pdf.