Tomorrow: "E-Commerce 101 & A Winding Career Path" With Leigh Loughlin From LEGO!

Happy Sunday! 

Thank you again for joining us on Monday for our female professor panel! This was a FANTASTIC meeting with some really impressive women who shared advice, stories, and spoke about their unique career paths. Thank you to Sara Smiarowski, Allison Werder, Kerri Bohonowicz, Michele Burch, Laurie Salame, and Elizabeth Delia for joining us!


As a reminder, our next meeting will be held tomorrow Monday, April 8th at 7pm in Mahar Auditorium. We will be joined by WiB alumni Leigh Loughlin of LEGO! Leigh will be about her experience in the world of e-commerce, as well as her journey through various career paths. She will be sharing some incredibly valuable advice on both personal and professional success - this is a meeting you won’t want to miss!


We also will be live streaming this meeting on Zoom for virtual viewers to attend at the following link:
Zoom Link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/96538284375
Meeting ID: 982 6193 7979


Committees:

  • Marketing: The next marketing committee meeting will be "Mastering Networking" on April 17th at 7pm in Isenberg 117!

  • Peer Mentorship: Stay tuned for information about the next meeting!

  • Community Service: The next meeting is on Wednesday, April 10th at 7:30 pm in Isenberg 124! This will be a UMass Dance Marathon meeting, where CommServ will be making a basket for our UMDM team's miracle child, Adrianna! 


Content:

  • Podcast:  "Out of Office (with WiB)" Episode 18, "Career Guidance w/ Jan Goodman (Botanical Boss)" is hosted by our director of Marketing, Lisa Freeley, and our Director of Communication, Megan Hoggins, featuring Jan Goodman the President of Boston Cityscapes! Stream on Spotify using this link, or on Apple Music using this link! If you are interested in being on the podcast, working behind the scenes, or just learning more, fill out this form!

  • Blog: Check out, "Treating Your Mind & Body as Separate Mechanisms" by Caroline Tierney, at this link! If you are interested in writing a blog, sign up here.


Basketball Squares Fundraiser: Our next fundraiser is basketball squares! This will take place during the Men's NCAA basketball championship tomorrow April 8th at 9:20 pm. Squares will be $5 each and randomly assigned, the person whose square matches the score at the end of each half will win. Winners will be announced on our Instagram and you can win up to $50! Venmo @UMassWiB with your NAME, EMAIL, and # OF SQUARES. 

UMass Dance Marathon: The UMass Dance Marathon helps fundraise for Baystate Children's Hospital, and has been its leading donor for the last two years. Join our Women in Business team or register on your own through this linktree to register for the event on April 13th. If you join our Women in Business team and use promo code WiB, registration is free! You will also receive 2 membership points. 
 
 

If you would like to learn more about WiB, check out our website and follow our Instagram (@IsenbergWiB), where we post regular updates about meetings, events, and opportunities.
 

Have a comment or concern? Please don't hesitate to fill out this anonymous feedback/report form.  

UMass Opportunities

  • Smart Women Securities Flower Arranging: Join SWS to get into the Spring mood with some flower arranging TODAY Sunday, April 7, from 6-7pm in the Hub!

  • Minutemen Fixed Income Fund: Fall 2024 Junior Analyst Program applications are now open. The Minutemen Fixed Income Fund is a student-run credit research fund that strives to fill the gap in traditional undergraduate curriculum through its focus on the credit market. Applications will be open until 11:59 P.M. on Friday, April 19th. First-year UMass Amherst students of all majors are encouraged to apply by the deadline, download the application here, and email completed applications.    

Other Opportunities

  • Citizens Commercial Banking Overview: Attend the first installment of a four-part virtual Citizens Commercial Banking presentation series on Wednesday, April 10th 6-7pm. This program is designed for college sophomores who are interested in exploring a career in Commercial Banking and/or a Summer 2025 internship with Citizens! RVSP here. 

Treating Your Mind & Body as Separate Mechanisms

By: Caroline Tierney

When we think of sports, meditation, staying active, and the like, we tend to think of our mind and body working in tandem. In sports, I can always recall coaches advising my teammates and I to actively think about the action we were about to take, “Think about where you are throwing the ball!”, in order to establish a better mind, body connection. While I absolutely believe the mind and body work together in many cases, I also find it important to recognize how our mind can work against our body.

For anyone that has ever taken a psychology class, we often learn about topics like fear in the unconscious. Fear is a mechanism that our unconscious mind uses to protect ourselves from getting hurt, or worse. What’s interesting though, is how we use our conscious mind and our surroundings to influence that unconscious fear. Think about it, your unconscious mind inherently can not perceive reality, that’s why we have our conscious mind. So when you are about to send a double backflip off a jump on skis, your unconscious mind, without perception of reality, screams at you not to. But the reason you feel like you want to at least try to land the double backflip, is because your conscious mind can perceive reality, and a part of you believes you can do it. Your unconscious mind is working against your body in this scenario, trying to protect you, yet in reality you know your body is capable.

The reason I bring up these differences is because we can use our conscious mind to control our unconscious fears, of any level, by separating how we treat our mind and body. For example, one of my favorite hobbies is surfing. The sport of surfing comes with a lot of dangers, especially being tossed under water for a long period of time with only one breath. I recently came back from a 5 day surf camp in the lovely Pacific waters of Costa Rica. Included in the camp was a series of workshops from meditation and stretching, to underwater weight lifting, and my personal favorite, apnea breathwork. Imagine the Costa Rica Men’s Surf National Champion saying that you are about to be held down at the bottom of a pool by weights, and required to hold your breath for 2 minutes straight. You can probably understand the shock on my face when he told me this was going to happen, I thought for sure I couldn’t hold my breath for any longer than a minute. Prior to this exercise, we spent a lot of time separating our mind from our body, and overcoming the physical feelings of fear by controlling our mind. As the two minutes were ticking, instead of focusing on the tight feelings in my chest and head under water, I focused on imagining a series of numbers in my head. It may sound strange, but it truly distracted me for most of the time. I thought about the selection of numbers I envisioned, the size of the font, color, how they were presented, like in a box or underlined, and what the numbers meant. Before I knew it, 2 minutes passed, and I came to the surface gasping for air indeed. 

While this experience may sound extreme, and candidly it was quite intense, there are some broader lessons to be learned. Again, fear is a mechanism our minds enforce to protect ourselves from the “bad” in our environment. But by breaking down the connection between your mind and body, you will start to realize that fear is entirely controllable, and you can quite literally accomplish anything you desire by treating your mind and body as two separate entities.

Next Week: "E-Commerce 101 & A Winding Career Path" with Leigh Loughlin from LEGO!

Happy Wednesday! 

Thank you for joining us on Monday for our female professor panel! This was a FANTASTIC meeting with some really impressive women who shared advice, stories, and spoke about their unique career paths. Thank you to Sara Smiarowski, Allison Werder, Kerri Bohonowicz, Michele Burch, Laurie Salame, and Elizabeth Delia for joining us!

As a reminder, our next meeting will be held on Monday, April 8th at 7pm in Mahar Auditorium. We will be joined by WiB alumni Leigh Loughlin of LEGO! Leigh will be about her experience in the world of e-commerce, as well as her journey through various career paths. She will be sharing some incredibly valuable advice on both personal and professional success--this is a meeting you won’t want to miss!


We also will be live streaming this meeting on Zoom for virtual viewers to attend at the following link:
Zoom Link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/96538284375
Meeting ID: 982 6193 7979


Committees:

  • Marketing: The next marketing committee meeting will be "Mastering Networking" on April 17th at 7pm in Isenberg 117!

  • Peer Mentorship: Stay tuned for information about the next meeting!

  • Community Service: The next meeting is Wednesday, April 10th at 7:30 pm in Isenberg 124 topic TBD!


Content:

  • Podcast: "Out of Office (with WiB)" Episode 18, "Career Guidance w/ Jan Goodman (Botanical Boss)" is hosted by our director of Marketing, Lisa Freeley, and our Director of Communication, Megan Hoggins, featuring Jan Goodman the President of Boston Cityscapes! Stream on Spotify using this link, or on Apple Music using this link! If you are interested in being on the podcast, working behind the scenes, or just learning more, fill out this form!

  • Blog: Check out, "Rest and Recharge: Surviving the Post-Spring Break Slump" by Rachael Doyle, at this link! If you are interested in writing a blog, sign up here.



Basketball Squares Fundraiser: Our next fundraiser is basketball squares! This will take place during the Men's NCAA basketball championship on April 8th at 9:20 pm. Squares will be $5 each and randomly assigned, the person whose square matches the score at the end of each half will win. Winners will be announced on our Instagram and you can win up to $50! Venmo @UMassWiB with your NAME, EMAIL, and # OF SQUARES. 

WiB Formal: We are so excited to officially invite you to our Spring Formal on Thursday, April 18th from 7:30pm-10pm at Monkey Bar! Our theme is masquerade, so wear black or white and masks will be provided at the door. Tickets are $15, you can either bring cash to our next meeting or pay on Venmo (for Venmo payments please include your name, UMass email, and include "formal" in the caption). Email cbuonacore@umass.edu with any questions! Signups close and payments are due by Friday, April 5th.

  • This form is only open to WiB active members (with the option to bring a guest). Please note that this form is BINDING, filling it out locks in your spot and refunds will not be available. 

  • This form is open to non-WiB members. Please note that this form is BINDING, filling it out locks in your spot and refunds will not be available.

UMass Dance Marathon: The UMass Dance Marathon helps fundraise for Baystate Children's Hospital, and has been its leading donor for the last two years. Join our Women in Business team or register on your own through this linktree to register for the event on April 13th. If you join our Women in Business team and use promo code WiB, registration is free! 


 

If you would like to learn more about WiB, check out our website and follow our Instagram (@IsenbergWiB), where we post regular updates about meetings, events, and opportunities. 


Have a comment or concern? Please fill out this anonymous feedback/report form. 

UMass Opportunities

  • Smart Women Securities Headshots: SWS will be hosting professional headshot sessions on April 5th from 3-4pm in the Hub. 

  • Smart Women Securities Flower Arranging: Join SWS to get into the Spring mood with some flower arranging on Sunday, April 7, from 6-7pm in the Hub!

Additional Opportunities

  • Citizens Commercial Banking Overview: Attend the first installment of a four-part virtual Citizens Commercial Banking presentation series, designed for college sophomores who are interested in exploring a career in Commercial Banking and/or a Summer 2025 internship with Citizens! RVSP here. 

Tomorrow: Female Professor Panel!

Happy Sunday! 

Thank you again for joining us on Monday for "Your Minimum Wage Job Matters Too" with our AMAZING Vice President Ava Lynch! She was fantastic and we hope you learned a little about how valuable your minimum wage job experience is and feel a little bit of future pressure off your shoulders. 


As a reminder, our next meeting will be held on Monday, April 1st at 7pm in Mahar Auditorium. We will be joined by six Isenberg professors who will speak on their experiences as females in the workplace and share their advice with us. This meeting will be a great opportunity to get to know some of our wonderful faculty outside the classroom!


We also will be live streaming this meeting on Zoom for virtual viewers to attend at the following link:
Zoom Link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/96538284375
Meeting ID: 982 6193 7979


Committees:

  • Marketing: The next marketing committee meeting will be "Mastering Networking" on April 17th at 7pm in Isenberg 117!

  • Peer Mentorship: Stay tuned for information about the next meeting!

  • Community Service: The next meeting is on Wednesday, April 10th at 7:30 pm in Isenberg 124 topic TBD! 


Content:

  • Podcast:  "Out of Office (with WiB)" Episode 18, "Career Guidance w/ Jan Goodman (Botanical Boss)" is hosted by our director of Marketing, Lisa Freeley, and our Director of Communication, Megan Hoggins, featuring Jan Goodman the President of Boston Cityscapes! Stream on Spotify using this link, or on Apple Music using this link! If you are interested in being on the podcast, working behind the scenes, or just learning more, fill out this form!

  • Blog: Check out, "Rebranding the Word Selfish" by Jane Tecu, at this link! If you are interested in writing a blog, sign up here.



Boston Trip: If you are attending the Boston Trip, there is a ZOOM meeting on Tuesday, April, 2nd at 8pm to discuss details. Check your emails for the link, and be sure to fill out the travel waiver (DocuSign) and Wayfair registrations in your inbox. 

Basketball Squares Fundraiser: Our next fundraiser is going to be basketball squares! This will take place during the Men's NCAA basketball championship on April 8th at 9:20 pm. Squares will be $5 and randomly assigned, the person whose square matches the score at the end of the first half will win $20, and the person whose square matches the final score will win $40! More details regarding buying squares to follow!

WiB Formal: We are so excited to officially invite you to our Spring Formal on Thursday, April 18th from 7:30pm-10pm at Monkey Bar! Our theme is masquerade, so wear black or white and masks will be provided at the door. Tickets are $15, you can either bring cash to our next meeting or pay on Venmo (for Venmo payments please include your name, UMass email, and include "formal" in the caption). Email cbuonacore@umass.edu with any questions! Payments are due Friday, April 5th.

  • This form is only open to WiB active members (with the option to bring a guest). Please note that this form is BINDING, filling it out locks in your spot and refunds will not be available. 

  • This form is open to non-WiB members. Please note that this form is BINDING, filling it out locks in your spot and refunds will not be available. 

 
 

If you would like to learn more about WiB, check out our website and follow our Instagram (@IsenbergWiB), where we post regular updates about meetings, events, and opportunities.
 

Have a comment or concern? Please don't hesitate to fill out this anonymous feedback/report form.  

UMass Opportunities

  • UMass Dance Marathon: The UMass Dance Marathon will be held on Saturday, April 13th, and will help fundraise for Baystate Children's Hospital which gets no state funding. Use the top link on this linktree to register. Join our Women in Business team and use promo code WiB so that registration is free! 

  • Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship Headshots: The Berthiaume Center will be hosting professional headshot sessions on April 3rd from 12pm to 9pm in Bartlett 301. To secure a spot, sign up here. 

Other Opportunities

  • Liberty Mutual Consulting Case Workshop: Current juniors interested in an Associate Consulting role with Liberty Mutual after graduation can join this virtual event on April 3rd to build their consulting tool-kit and gain experience with Liberty Mutual Senior Executives. This is a great career-prep opportunity! See this flyer for more information and register here.

Reset and Recharge: Surviving the Post-Spring Break Slump

By: Rachael Doyle

Like many of you I spent my semester looking forward to spring break- turning my burnout into sunburn and doing absolutely nothing. What I didn’t realize is that all those adventures- including the immense traveling and that sunburn I previously mentioned- really took a toll on me, and I came back to find that I needed a vacation from my vacation. The days after break now left me feeling even worse than when I left, and since graduation is barely within reach I still have a long way to go before I can start packing it up for good. To prepare for the final stretch of the semester I came up with the perfect recipe to reset, refocus, and realign my space- remembering that how you feel is an emanate reflection on how you will do.

Physical Space:

Surprising to no one, the first thing I did to realign myself was a reset of my physical space- everything I use on a daily basis needed some extra care and attention. Bare minimum surface cleaning is all that I did to my dorm room all semester, so I took the time to deep clean and organize everything. When it came to my closet I packed up all the winter sweaters and jackets I didn’t need anymore, as well as anything I knew I would want to donate. If you’re looking to donate any gently used clothing WiB will be having a spring cleaning fundraiser this April, so be sure to put it all aside for that!

When it came to organizing my school supplies I started with my desk, making sure to sort through all my books and papers, wiping down everything, and getting some new organizers for my pens and pencils that I desperately needed (highly recommend Marshalls if you’re looking for some yourself!). I also did a deep clean of my backpack, once again organizing all my papers and pens so that I am ready to get back to class!

Digital Space:

Genuinely nothing is worse than logging into my email and seeing a full inbox. When it comes to sorting through my email I make sure to create tabs for my different classes, responding to anything I need to as I organize and put things into different folders. I know most people are inclined to just delete everything they see or leave it to clutter even further, but it is important to keep an eye on your inbox! You never know when an important email from a professor, classmate, or even a recruiter could come in- and the worst thing you could do is ignore it. If you’re struggling to keep up with spam and clutter, there are services you can use to help unsubscribe from certain senders and ensure that the important information is staying at the front of your inbox. 

As someone who takes a lot of creative classes where photo and video editing are crucial, the file space on my computer is always an uphill battle. Make sure to clean out any unused files on your computer, and store the ones that you may need for later. One of the best things I ever did was buy an external hard drive, and all my important large files and projects go in there for safe keeping. This is also a great idea for anyone who may have an older laptop- if you know you may be graduating or investing in a new device soon, now is the perfect time to back up your best files!

Lastly, make sure to clean out your phone. Delete unused apps, clear out any old messages or photos, and readjust your home screen if needed. One of my favorite new updates on my phone has been the creation of Widgets- they help you prioritize certain apps and information in a clean and organized way. I can personally vouch that it is the sole reason I remember to continue my Duolingo streak each day, and has been a great tool to remind me of updates on anything from homework assignments to the weather. During this time it is also important to take breaks from social media- I am sure many of you (like myself) spent hours scrolling and seeing what everyone else was up to over break, but now that we are in the final stretch of our time on campus make sure you stay present! Go for a walk in Downtown Amherst, read a book by the pond, or spend time with friends at Blue Wall and enjoy the beauty of spring on campus while we still can!

Mental Space

Hopefully some of the above items will help clear your mind and make you feel more relaxed, but there are also many ways to free up your mental space and make you truly feel ready for the rest of the semester. The first thing I have been (trying) to do is get enough sleep- for those of us that didn’t catch up on sleep over break now is the perfect time to start a more restful routine! One thing I have loved doing since break is reading- and reading before bed is a great way to avoid screens and get ready for a peaceful sleep. 

One thing I also love doing to reset is going to the gym, it may sound crazy but I swear it is the perfect way to clear your head and make your body feel good! The rec can get pretty hectic during busy hours, so if you’re looking for something more relaxed try going for a walk outside, sign up for an off-campus fitness class (my friends have tried everything from rock climbing to jiu jitsu and loved it) or even do some yoga in your own dorm room! As the weather gets nicer I always feel the need to get out and do something- so even if you just want to stroll around make sure you listen to your body and get out there!

Lastly, spend time with friends and loved ones! I am usually a pretty big home body, but now is the time to get out there! Even if it’s just a coffee date or a catch up call, my friends and family are the ones I lean on most to help center me and get me on the right track.

The final push of the semester can definitely be a struggle for a lot of people, but know you aren’t alone! It is never too late to join a club, start a new hobby or make a new friend. Take care of yourself and remember that there is still so much time to do everything you need while also taking care of yourself and the spaces you have that allow you to succeed.