Inspiration
As a new business school student at Syracuse University, I sat in a lecture hall eager to hear about a guest speaker's path to success. She was a powerful banking executive, and I was inspired by her grit in a traditionally male-dominated field. Yet, as the event progressed, no questions were posed about gender and the specific challenges women face in achieving professional success. I wanted to ask questions about confidence, the role of mentors, and imposter syndrome – but I felt intimidated.
Opportunity
Leaving the event feeling somewhat deflated, I realized that no organization on campus tackled these female-specific experiences. I also noticed how few opportunities there were to connect ambitious collegiate women with one another and with seasoned female professionals. Therefore, as a sophomore undergraduate student, I founded The Women's Network. I personally knocked on more than 1,200 dorm rooms, distributed flyers, and hoped at least 20 people would attend our first meeting back in 2017. I was shocked and elated when 200 women showed up.
Growth
Today, we are not only one of the largest organizations on the Syracuse University campus, but we are also the largest collegiate women's networking organization in North America, having expanded to over 120 college campuses in the United States, Canada, and Ireland. As we continue to grow, I think back to my sophomore year and that initial effort to generate interest by painstakingly knocking on doors. Now, with tens of thousands of members, I couldn't be more proud.
But, we have more work to do. TWN was created to empower and inspire women, while recognizing key barriers women often encounter when entering and advancing in the workforce. Our mission is more critical now than ever: to arm women with the skills they need to achieve professional success. TWN is a community of "unapologetically ambitious" women, and we will continue to support our members' ambitions as the next generation of leaders.
