Women in Business Leadership, an on-campus student organization, will host a conference on April 1 that is open to students of all majors.
The organization connects women and helps them succeed both professionally and personally.
“Women in Business Leadership is really just about creating a safe environment where we can come together, and all network, connect, learn more about professional development and then have opportunities to get internships or just opportunities to learn more about things that we don’t necessarily hear in the classroom,” said Kylie Niekamp, Women in Business Leadership president.
The organization holds biweekly meetings and invites professionals to speak about their experiences and lives.
“It ends up being around six professional speakers throughout the semester…We try to hit every specialization throughout the semester. They come talking more about their own personal and professional experience and just trying to give us advice rather than pitching their company,” Niekamp said.
As well as professional speakers, Women in Business Leadership does tours, social events, community service and more.
“We do company tours, social events, professional headshots and networking collaborations with other students. We also do a mentorship program where we are able to connect our members with professionals who are working,” Niekamp said. “All of our members are required to do one hour of community service to be considered active. We also donate time and money to the Victory Center up in Perrysburg.”
Women in Business Leadership will host its conference at the Bowen-Thompson Student Union Ballroom from 1 to 4 p.m.
“[It’s] just a leadership event for students to come in and hear from six different speakers to grow their network with other companies in the area. We also give out scholarships, so it’s just a big three-hour event where you can come in, have the opportunity to network, kind of one-on-one with those companies and then also grow with your education,” said Ella Wlodarsky, chair of special events for Women in Business Leadership.
This conference is different than the Career Fair and Falcon Career Showcase because it’s based on donations.
“The companies that donate to us, we have different levels of donation, and once they hit a certain level of that donation, they get to bring a company representative in. It’s not like a tabling; they just have a round table with their company name on it, and students can go sit with them,” Wlodarsky said. “It’s a lot more informal. Rather than bringing your resume and them having recruiters there, it’s more of just a sit-down, have a conversation.”
Including the speakers and the company representatives, there will be free food, a basket raffle and pictures.
“Doors are gonna open at 12:30 p.m., and that 30-minute period is gonna be there for you to network with the companies, enter the raffle baskets, take pictures and figure out where you want to sit. We have brief intermissions in between to continue that networking, get food and stuff like that. We have flatbreads, quesadillas and kebab skewers,” Wlodarsky said.
Women in Business Leadership doesn’t want to push people away from an opportunity.
“It’s a leadership conference, not just open for business majors. They can all just attend the conference,” Wlodarsky said.
To register: https://bgsu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3K0GCocS48aDHeu
For more information: https://www.bgsu.edu/business/students/student-organizations/women-in-business-leadership.html
