School-Life Balance

A current trend in the workplace is maintaining a healthy “Work-Life Balance.” In order to achieve this, companies have been focusing on improving their work culture and truly valuing the well-being of their employees. The idea of “School-Life Balance” is equally important for college students as it is for employees in the workplace. Whether it is in an office or in a classroom, people perform at their optimum levels when placed in a healthy environment with a happy well-being.

How does a college student maintain a healthy “School-Life Balance?” This question can be difficult to answer when we are responsible for many different tasks at once. College students juggle classes five days per week, shifts at work, hours of homework and exams, and sometimes extracurricular activities such as academic clubs and sports. How do we find “me time”? When can we focus on doing things we love, such as spending time with friends, working out, or simply reading a book? Below are a few tips to keep in mind when trying to maintain a healthy “School-Life Balance” as a college student.

1.     Dedicate time outside of your dorm/room: Sometimes it is easy to feel trapped in your dorm room working on assignments that seem to never end. To get out of this headspace, dedicate an hour of each day to leaving this environment. This could be going for a run, grabbing something to eat, or simply enjoying the fresh air. Facetime a friend! Anything you can do to take a step back.

2.     Plan weekend activities: You may be thinking “I have so much work to do this weekend.” If this is the case, pick one or two nights of the weekend to do something enjoyable with your friends after a full day of doing work. This could be a Friday night movie night with popcorn. Be creative, just make sure you find this time to spend time with the people you love most.

3.     Call your family: As a college student, you are most likely away from home and your family. Our busy lives sometimes prevent us from keeping in touch with our family. For me, calling my sisters and my mom always puts me in a cheerful mood. Calling your family may be just the thing you need to get you through a stressful week.

4.     Organize your priorities: Keeping a calendar and writing out your “things to do” list helps you prioritize what you have to do for the week. This way you are able to complete the things of high importance and cut some tasks out that you may not need to complete right away. You could also cut something out of your schedule completely! It is okay to step back if you feel as if you’re balancing too much.

These are just a few things college students can do to help manage a healthy “School-Life Balance.” As a heavily involved student, I keep these in mind when I am trying to balance my own. Maintaining classes, work, and clubs is difficult at times, but doing things that make me happy while living a generally healthy lifestyle all contribute to keeping a good “School-Life Balance.”

Internships 101

Below are three different examples of Boss Lady internships that members of our WIB E-Board experienced this past summer. Find out what the female working business world is like!

1. Haley Chupka- Senior Operations & Information Management Major

This past summer, I had the pleasure of interning on the Military Engines Spare Parts Team for the Materials Management & Logistics (MM&L) Internship at Pratt & Whitney. It was an incredible experience where I was able to learn a lot about the company, make connections, and develop my skill set. My work mainly consisted of coordinating inventory movements for individual part numbers that were in danger of going "cold", or inactive, meaning the part has not been received by a Pratt & Whitney plant from a supplier in two years. When a part goes cold, about $25,000 in reboot costs go towards reactivating the part––mainly through inspections that must be conducted as well as major tooling. I worked in multiple programs to move scheduled inventory receipts to earlier dates to avoid these reboot costs, and was able to save the company over $3 million in doing this. I had other smaller projects that mainly focused on increasing efficiency and productivity in different work groups throughout my organization.

What drew me to Pratt & Whitney was their incredible culture and sustainability initiatives. As an aerospace engineering company, they have a significant impact on the environment. They have specific goals that they have advertised to be met by 2020, such as reduction of greenhouse gasses, hazardous waste, and water consumption by 2-5%, and to recycle 90% of industrial process waste. This was important to me because I am passionate about sustainability, and I was looking for a company that shares similar values to mine. In regards to their culture––a company can boast about having a great culture all they want, but, at Pratt, they really do have one. They value collaboration, communication, knowledge sharing, standardization, and developing/taking care of their people. Pratt immediately felt like home to me, and I took advantage of all of the opportunities that came my way. As an intern, you are "at the bottom of the totem pole," but this is a great thing because you have a fresh start and a new opportunity to establish yourself in a new environment. Interns are provided with all of the resources needed in order to succeed, but it is up to them to decide what they will make of their time and themselves during their time there. 

I am ecstatic to be returning to Pratt & Whitney full-time after graduation as a Materials Management Development Program (MMDP) Associate. During this program, I will rotate through three different areas of materials: Supply Planning, Delivery Execution, and Demand Management. This program is two years long, consisting of four rotations through each of the areas previously mentioned. I can't wait to further develop myself and my career at this company!

2. Maria Jara- Junior Marketing Major

This past summer I was a buying intern at The TJX Companies at their global headquarters in Framingham, MA. I applied for their Merchandising Development Program in the fall of my sophomore year. I had always been interested in fashion and have always wanted to work in retail, so I felt like it was worth a shot to apply for an internship that encompasses both of those things! 

Needless to say, I was so excited when I was offered the internship! On my first day at the company, I was inspired and amazed by the friendly culture, the drive to succeed, and the overall fun that everyone seemed to be having. During my summer with TJX, I worked on a team of seven buyers who worked in the men’s division with hats, wallets, belts, tech and family gifts. I was exposed to such diverse aspects of the company and I absolutely loved how the work I was given was meaningful and had an actual impact on daily business. I was able to develop hard skills like using various buying software and reading ladder plans, but I was also able to develop many soft skills like adjusting to work life balance and public speaking! I’m pleased to say that I will be returning to TJX next summer as a Planning and Allocation intern! 

3. Julia Gleim- Sophomore Marketing Major

This past summer I interned at Applause, where I was a member of the Community Management Team. I remember talking to sophomores who had internships after their freshman year and being amazed that freshmen could even get these opportunities. I was determined to put myself out there in hopes that I could also get an internship and begin my journey to a career in the business world! 

A little background on the company I worked for, Applause is a software company that has its own platform called uTest. UTest is a software testing company that other companies post job opportunities to test new technologies before them launching it. When a company is unable to acquire enough testers that fit their needs, they contact my department, Community Management. As a member of the Community Management team, I am tasked to recruit these specific types of “testers,” whether that be based on their accent for voice testing, location for on-site testing, or interests such as football for specific types of testing. It was my responsibility to post facebook ads, contact people directly, and create job boards in order to recruit these different types of “testers”.  After completing my summer internship I was asked to work remotely at school and I could not pass up this offer! When I got to school I quickly realized that working and doing my school work was too much for me, so I requested to receive credits for my work so I could drop a class. My request was approved and the process was very easy. I have loved every aspect of working for Applause, and I look forward to continuing to learn and grow while working there! 

As you can see, the opportunities out there are endless! Feel free to reach out to Haley, Maria, or Julia with any questions about their experiences.

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone and Learning to Take Risks

Author: Kayla Kay

As a freshman at Isenberg, I am familiar with how nerve wracking it can be to adjust to a new school and environment. On top of trying to tackle the everyday struggles of adjusting to the social norms of college, learning the ropes of Isenberg can be daunting. Sometimes, with so many classes, clubs, and opportunities available, it seems easier to sit back and not take advantage of the opportunities UMass and Isenberg have to offer. To get you out of that rut, here are my top 3 ideas of ways to step out of your comfort zone and take risks in your life at UMass.

1. Go to Club Fairs:

I have to admit it, I skipped the club fair hosted at the beginning of the year to lie in bed and watch Netflix. While burying myself in fury blankets and watching The Office was amazing, attending club fairs is extremely beneficial in learning about the clubs offered on campus. Even if you don’t find a club you want to join, going is a great way to help you discover more of what you like and what you don’t like. Bring a friend along, it makes the experience less overwhelming and more fun!

       2. Take a Class that has nothing to do with your interests:

My love for the sciences does not go much further than watching Bill Nye the Science Guy, so I was not happy when my advisor informed me that I had to take a Biological Science course. However, trying the course and studying the material was a great experience for me: I ended with an A and also confirmed I definitely do not want to be a scientist!

3. If the Opportunity is there — Study Abroad:

Being homesick is a hard feeling to deal with- I get it, I was always the kid to call my parents at sleepovers. It is easy to abandon the idea of going abroad out of fear, but going is an amazing way to extend your education and experience other cultures. We just got back from Spring Break, so start fresh and choose a time to meet with your advisor! Ask them questions about abroad programs- whether it be a domestic or foreign program!

Go for it! You won’t regret it!

Leadership Advice from Powerful Women

Author: Victoria Jeschke Patton

Right now women are killing it as entrepreneurs and leaders in the business world. As women continue to break the glass ceiling in all industries, it’s important for them to speak up and share how they got where they are so other women feel inspired and follow in their footsteps. Women are fantastic at networking and supporting each other professionally. The record number of female CEOs in the Fortune 500 list currently is a major milestone. Mary Barra, Indra Nooyi, Ginni Rometty and Gail Boudreaux are all driven women who have stood up for one another and given candid advice about the obstacles that stand in the way of ambitious women. They are perfect examples of innovative leaders, and all the driven women in a predominately male business setting can learn a thing (or four!) from women like them.

1. Be confident about who you are. Don’t be apologetic about what you do or love because it’s what makes you you and there has never been a more important time for accurate representation in positions of authority. Real leaders and game changers in the business world are just like us with passions, hobbies and quirks. Women can especially benefit from hearing relatable stories.

At just 18 years old, Mary Barra started working at General Motors as a student and quickly went on to take several management positions. Women aren’t expected to show interest in the automotive industry and rarely get as far as managers, but Mary worked her way up the ladder and followed in her father’s footsteps. It’s inspiring to see young adults like Mary express interest in such a male-dominated industry and then work their way up to CEO.

1. Don’t wait to speak up. There is an unspoken culture for newer employees to be quiet and observe, don’t rock the boat or question a decision until you’ve “paid your dues” or earned your voice. This has been especially harmful to women, who are expected to play the role of office angel or stay on the sidelines. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind at the table and with others. If you’re in a leadership position, you’ve already earned it and should absolutely speak up and spread your ideas.

During Indra Nooyi’s tenure as CEO of PepsiCo from 2006-2018, she launched a strategic redirection of the company. They merged with Tropicana, Quaker Oats Company, and Gatorade in addition to bringing healthier PepsiCo products into the market. Her ideas and strategies increased sales by 80%. No idea is too small to be shared.

1. Share your personal story. This ties in well with being confident about who you are. If you have a unique perspective, sharing it makes you memorable and personable. There is strength in opening up to others, and when a leader shares something special or relatable about them it makes others feel reassured in the workplace. Many women fall prey to imposter syndrome, where they feel as if they don’t belong or haven’t earned their leadership role. Hearing personal stories, especially from a leader, makes a inflexible setting feel more humane.

Ginni Rometty came from a modest family on the outside of Chicago. In her mid teens her parents divorced, her mother worked multiple jobs to support the family, and she maintained the household in the evenings after school. Ginni is now the chair, president and CEO of IBM and the first woman to head the company. Big things have small beginnings, indeed.

1. Empower and support others. So many women are used to being the only one in a room full of men. Talk to every woman in your network and workplace, leaders and interns alike. The success and good feelings that come from supporting other women is astronomical and looks good on everyone. Not to mention, it’s a good practice professionally to laud each other and make those positive connections.

Gail Boudreaux played women’s basketball from 1978-1982 at Dartmouth and received several awards and recognitions for her athletic prowess. After studying business at Columbia, she had several executive positions and she’s currently the CEO of insurance company Anthem Inc., now the second largest American company with a female CEO. If there is anyone who understands teamwork and how useful a supportive network can be, it’s Gail.

How to Get Out of The Winter Rut

Author: Kaylie Keating

The month of February is rough. The joyous holiday season that comes with December and the motivational spirit that fills January is followed by a whole month of dreary, cold weather and the feeling that warm weather will never come. And to top it off, those final weeks of walking through snow and attempting to stay warm are also the busy weeks before spring break-where professors fill your schedule with exams and there’s lots of events happening on campus. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything going on, as well as unmotivated as you try to pull yourself out of that lingering winter slump. Here are my top five tips for getting out of your winter rut and pushing through these last couple weeks before the sun finally starts to shine through.

1. Group Fitness Classes

Nothing motivates me to get active and go to the gym more than a fitness class. At UMass in particular, you have to sign up for classes via the IMLeagues app. If I am signed up for a class and there’s a waitlist, I’m less likely to leave the session and more likely to force myself to make the trek there. Whether you’re interested in some cardio in a Spinning class or finding zen in a yoga class, there’s a fitness class that you’ll love. The energy in the classes always leaves me feeling motivated and productive.

2. Have a “Me Night”

Trying to balance schoolwork with clubs, jobs, and a social life can be stressful and usually we can become so busy that we don’t even realize how burnt out we really are. A quick fix to calm down and rejuvenate is a classic and cliché spa night. Choose a night of the week and say “no” to plans that night. Order Insomnia cookies, put on a face mask, and turn on your favorite show. Or read a book, make some tea, and do anything else that makes you feel good. This night should be all about you.

3. Remember to Take Study Breaks

Nothing fuels burn out more than not taking study breaks. Throughout the week, try to take little breaks from work by grabbing some of your friends and exploring places on or around campus. My top recommendations would be to enjoy the serenity atop the Studio Arts and Design Building, walking through Durfee Conservatory, or treating yourself to a Glazed doughnut in Downtown Amherst (their Cookies n’ Cream one's life changing).

4. Social Media Detox

I’m not a social media hater. I think it’s a great creative outlet to express yourself and share ideas. However, I do think that it can be very negative, especially when you’re in a rut. Seeing all of your friends “thriving” causes you to question yourself and what you’re doing wrong. So try deleting all your apps for a day, a weekend, or maybe even a week. It will also do wonders for your studying. Goodbye procrastination!

5. Appreciate the Cold

I know it’s easy to sulk and complain about how cold it is, but at the end of the day, we go to college in Massachusetts, and nothing is going to change how cold the winter gets. So try to live in the moment instead of counting down the days until summer by enjoying all of the great things about winter. This is the only time of year you can make yourself hot chocolate with a heaping pile of marshmallows and whip cream on top without any regrets. Go do that.