Tomorrow: No Meeting!

Happy Sunday! 

Thank you again for joining us on Monday for our meeting with wonderful WiB alumni Leigh Loughlin of LEGO! Leigh spoke about her experience in the world of e-commerce, as well as her journey through various careers. It was inspiring to hear about the different paths to success and how there is no one right way to get where you want to go. 


As a reminder, we will NOT be meeting tomorrow due to Patriots Day. We will instead be hosting an external event with Liberty Mutual called "Developing a Growth Mindset" on Tuesday, April 16th at 6:30 pm in Isenberg 108. Our next general body meeting will be "Personal Finance with SWS" on Monday, April 22nd at 7pm in Mahar Auditorium. They will be hosting a presentation on personal finance and will share incredibly valuable advice on how to set yourself up for success financially -- don't miss it!



Committees:

  • Marketing: The next marketing committee meeting will be "Mastering Networking" on Wednesday, April 17th at 7:30pm in Isenberg 117!

  • Peer Mentorship: The next event is a Peer Mentorship x CommServ campus cleanup competition! We will meet at Isenberg on Sunday, April 21st at 11 am and teams will be created. Each team will be provided with trash bags. All teams will return to Isenberg at 12:30 pm, and the team with the most amount of trash will win a prize!

  • Community Service: The last CommServ meeting of the semester will be Wednesday, May 1st at 7:30pm in Isenberg 124!


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.



E-Board Applications: Our 2024-2025 E-Board Applications are open! We encourage members who are dedicated to WiB, and willing to devote their time to contributing new ideas, to apply. Being a member of our executive board is a great opportunity to get more involved on campus, work with an incredible group of women, and make a difference in our club! All majors and grade levels are invited to apply. We are so excited to see your applications! Check out the position descriptions here and apply here by 11:59 on Friday, April 19th. Reach out to isenbergwib@gmail.com with any questions. 

Spring-Cleaning Thrift Store Fundraiser: In celebration of Earth Day, WiB will be tabling in the Student Union on April 22nd from 10am 2pm hosting a pop-up thrift store! If you have any extra clothes lying around feel free to bring them to our meeting on Tuesday, April 16th at 6:30 pm OR Friday, April 19th from 12-3 pm in the Hub (someone will be there collecting). If you don't have clothes to donate just come shop our thrift store, clothes will be heavily marked down and there will definitely be some great finds! Proceeds will go towards lowering the cost of events and opening them up to more members. 
 
 

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

  • 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.  

  • Smart Women Securities Guest Speaker: SWS is hosting Julia Mines for a session on the topic of confidence called "'Just Do It!' A Workshop for Women in Optimizing Confidence" on Sunday, April 21st from 6-7pm in Isenberg 106.  

Other Opportunities

  • Citi Freshman Discovery Program: The Freshman Discovery program is a workshop dedicated to helping students learn about career paths in finance, gain technical skills, and kick off career planning. This event will be held virtually on Wednesday, May 15, Thursday, May 16, and Friday, May 17, 2024. Open to undergraduate students graduating December 2026-June 2027. Applications are open here!

Why Bravery Should be a Highly-Desired Attribute

By: Elise Porter

I am a recruiter for a Fortune 500 company. My day kicks off bright and early with a stroll from my home to the Manhattan skyscraper that serves as my office. Armed with a cup of coffee, I settle in at my desk where my laptop awaits, ready to unveil the list of applicants lined up for interviews. While they all express similar levels of experience and impressive skill sets, they're about to perform another critical phase of the hiring process that is just as important: the behavioral interview. Following these conversations, I will be able to differentiate who is the best fit, and who might be better with another role. All of the potential candidates have the hard skills needed to be a successful employee, and will be able to learn as the tasks advance over time. However, technical skills are not enough to win yourself a job. So when looking for the best fit for our company, we will look towards their personalities, and decide who might provide a valuable asset to our team.

I am not actually a recruiter for a Fortune 500 company. I'm a college freshman, who has just started embarking on my journey into the professional world. But if that scenario were real, and I found myself conducting those interviews, I know precisely which traits I'd be seeking.

In a 2023 article published by Forbes, they identified the top five power skills employers seek: communication, customer service, leadership, attention to detail, and collaboration. While these attributes are undeniably crucial, I'd argue that bravery deserves a spot on that list—a quality not typically thought of. Bravery can sometimes be misinterpreted as not having fears, but when I think of bravery I consider it being able to confront your fears and overcome them. The key difference being that everyone gets scared, but those who are brave have the ability to push past those daunting thoughts. Most often in a professional setting, this becomes the fear of failure. The reluctance to apply for a job or request a promotion stems from the fear of rejection. However, if you never push past those trepidations and try, there isn’t any chance you will succeed. The most accomplished individuals confront many challenges and grow due to the ability to either navigate through the challenge, or learn from their mistakes. Companies that have the most success might have had to take the most significant risks, so being able to show the quality of moving past those fears is thus a trait I would look for if hiring new employees.

Especially when looking forward to all business industries in the next decade. We are in a vital transition period for technologies, to a future where AI will be adapted into most aspects of operation. This can be very daunting as it is an innovation that is unknown, and powerful enough to replace many human functions. If a company decides to shy away from this change, however, they will quickly fall behind their competitors. The most valued leaders will be those who bravely welcome these new technologies and learn how to use it advantageously. By doing so, they provide themselves a foundation and competitive advantage that could set them apart during this transition.

As much as I have explained why I believe that bravery is essential, you might be wondering how to practice this attribute. From my experience, the most effective way to enhance your bravery skills are by putting them into use. The next time that you feel fear taking over your thoughts, push through it. If you don’t take the initiative to complete tasks that scare you, someone else will pounce on your missed opportunity. Everyone has the ability to be brave, it simply just requires the self-discipline to not take the easy route and let your emotions dictate your actions. Most people will be facing the same fears that you are, however if you are the one to overcome the obstacle, that may differentiate you from the competition and land you a job in a Fortune 500 company, if so desired.

Perna, Mark C. “The Top 5 Power Skills Employers Are Looking for in 2023.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 12 Sept. 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/markcperna/2023/05/30/the-top-5-power-skills-employers-are-looking-for-in-2023/?sh=582926d528c1

Next Week: No Meeting!

Happy Wednesday! 

Thank you for joining us on Monday for our meeting with wonderful WiB alumni Leigh Loughlin of LEGO! Leigh spoke about her experience in the world of e-commerce, as well as her journey through various careers. It was inspiring to hear about the different paths to success and how there is no one right way to get where you want to go. She also gave out some pretty incredible LEGO sets. Thank you, Leigh!

As a reminder, we will NOT be meeting Monday due to Presidents Day. We will instead be hosting an external event with Liberty Mutual called "Developing a Growth Mindset" on Tuesday, April 16th at 6:30 pm in Isenberg 108. Our next general body meeting will be "Personal Finance with SWS" on Monday, April 22nd at 7pm in Mahar Auditorium. They will be hosting a presentation on personal finance and will share incredibly valuable advice on how to set yourself up for success financially -- don't miss it!



Committees:

  • Marketing: The next marketing committee meeting will be "Mastering Networking" on April 17th at 7:30 pm in Isenberg 117 (note the time change)!

  • Peer Mentorship: The next event is a Peer Mentorship x CommServ campus cleanup competition! We will meet at Isenberg on Sunday, April 21st at 11 am and teams will
    be created. Each team will be provided with trash bags. All teams will return to Isenberg at 12:30 pm, and the team with the most amount of trash will win a prize!

  • Community Service: The next meeting is TONIGHT 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.


E-Board Applications: Our 2024-2025 E-Board Applications are open! We encourage members who are dedicated to WiB, and willing to devote their time to contributing new ideas, to apply. Being a member of our executive board is a great opportunity to get more involved on campus, work with an incredible group of women, and make a difference in our club! All majors and grade levels are invited to apply. We are so excited to see your applications! Check out the position descriptions here and apply here by 11:59 on Friday, April 19th. Reach out to isenbergwib@gmail.com with any questions. 

Spring-Cleaning Thrift Store Fundraiser: In celebration of Earth Day, WiB will be tabling in the Student Union on April 22nd from 10am 2pm hosting a pop-up thrift store! If you have any extra clothes lying around feel free to bring them to our meeting on Tuesday, April 16th at 6:30 pm OR Friday, April 19th from 12-3 pm in the Hub (someone will be there collecting). If you don't have clothes to donate just come shop our thrift store, clothes will be heavily marked down and there will definitely be some great finds! Proceeds will go towards lowering the cost of events and opening them up to more members. 

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 for the event on Saturday, April 13th. If you join our Women in Business team and use promo code "WiB" for free registration! You will also receive 1 membership point for signing up and 2 membership points for attending. 


 

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

  • 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 in their completed applications to MFIF. 

Additional Opportunities

  • Citizens Commercial Banking Overview: Attend the first installment of a four-part virtual Citizens Commercial Banking presentation series TONIGHT Wednesday, April 10th, from 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.

  • Aerodyne Environmental Justice Seminar: Aerodyne Research specializes in technology-enhancing science for the environment. On Friday, April 12th at 2pm they will be hosting an environmental justice seminar! Register here. 

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.