In March 2018, Cindy Yang was a first-year student walking the halls of the 糖心vlog视频. By perhaps fateful coincidence, she stumbled upon an event hosted by . It was a celebration in honor of International Women鈥檚 Day.
鈥淚mmediately, I knew I wanted to be a part of this club,鈥 said Yang. 鈥淚 went right up to the president, introduced myself and asked how I could help.鈥
Three years later and Yang is now WiB鈥檚 president. This last year, she also added 100 new members to the club, despite the campus being in remote operations.
鈥淐indy Yang鈥檚 energy, creative talent and inclusive leadership style helped empower the whole WiB team to thrive in their mission, providing a vibrant forum for UW Bothell students to stay connected in meaningful ways even during the pandemic,鈥 said Carol Anderson Shaw, adjunct professor in the School of Business and faculty adviser of WiB.
Breaking down barriers
Women in Business aims to promote, empower and support women to become strong leaders in order to foster a more gender-equal corporate culture.
鈥淎s a first-generation student, it鈥檚 really impactful when I get to see people I can relate to being successful in their careers,鈥 said Yang. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why Women in Business is so special to me. I am able to showcase women excelling in their industry on campus.鈥
Theodora Sofowora, a third-year student and WiB鈥檚 officer of public relations, finds the same value in the club. 鈥淗aving women who are killing it in their respective business-related industries come and share their stories inspires me to want to achieve more,鈥 she said.
鈥淚t is also a great way to learn about company culture,鈥 she said, 鈥渁nd to learn how as a woman of color you can take up space and achieve more than the structures set in place want you to achieve.鈥
Beyond college classrooms
In order to pivot in a fully virtual landscape, WiB started an online series called Empower Hour where students can meet and hear from successful career women through video conferences. Sofowora said the #EmpowerHour series has been her favorite event the club has hosted.
鈥淚 truly enjoyed this series because a majority of our guests were women of color who gave their honest perspective of what it is like either running their own business, working within big corporations or just graduating and starting their own professional future,鈥 said Sofowora.
鈥淭he #EmpowerHour series truly did that. It empowered all of our members to see beyond college and to actually start envisioning their futures.鈥
Value fosters engagement
Last month, WiB hosted an online workshop with LinkedIn. But as Yang explained, with the shift to remote learning, it can be challenging to motivate people to add yet another video conference to their day.
鈥淲e had to think of a way to offer attendees something they wouldn鈥檛 be able to get by Googling or watching a YouTube video,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t had to be something of value in order to get people to engage.鈥
Yang had the idea of having someone from LinkedIn do reviews and critiques of the attendees鈥 profiles during the workshop. She was able to get in touch with Emmeline Vu, a product marketing manager at LinkedIn who was willing to give individual feedback to students who participated in the event.
鈥淏y offering a live profile critique session, we were able to offer something students couldn鈥檛 get from a video. In the process, we learned from one another on what works and what doesn鈥檛,鈥 Yang said. 鈥淔or people nearing graduation and entering the job market, this kind of feedback is extremely valuable.鈥
Making an impact
For Yang, the most rewarding part of being in and leading Women in Business is witnessing the success members gain through involvement.
Sofowora, for one, said the club has provided her the opportunity to take what she has learned as a student and apply it as the leader of an organization.
鈥淚 am able to use the business knowledge I gain in class to enhance the development of Women in Business,鈥 she said. 鈥淎ll the tips that I learn from my marketing class, I try to utilize in the club鈥檚 campaigns. Similarly, the knowledge I gain in my classes on data and human interactions I apply to my role as an officer.
鈥淭he club has given me the opportunity to always learn and to always grow the knowledge that I am receiving.鈥
Looking forward, Yang knows the club will continue to not just make an impact on students but also make a difference off campus.
鈥淚 am so excited for the future of Women in Business,鈥 she said 鈥渁nd I hope the club has empowered more women at UW Bothell to make an impact in their community.
鈥淢y wish is for all women to see that it鈥檚 possible to thrive in any field that they choose.鈥
