Members of Lehigh’s Women in Business club do not only focus on receiving job offers, but also think about the tools they will need to be successful once they are actually in the workplace.
Gen Nickerson, ’20, the president of Lehigh’s Women in Business, said the club provides networking opportunities, however, networking is not its main purpose.
“Women in Business is a professional and personal development club that isn’t focused on landing you a job right out of college,” Nickerson said. “We add that extra element of how (to) prepare ourselves after we get that job.”
Nickerson said many business and finance clubs at Lehigh are specific to a major while Women in Business is more of a general identity group.
The Women in Business club began hosting its annual conference five years ago.
Emily Ford, an assistant dean of the College of Business and Economics and the staff adviser of Lehigh’s Women in Business, said in the past, the conference attracted the attention and attendance of both students and faculty in the Lehigh community.
“Putting on the conference is a really big task and the students run it themselves for the most part,” Ford said. “I think the amount of time and energy they put into the club shows how ambitious they are and the amount of energy they have.”
Abbey Goldenberg, ’21, the vice president of Women in Business, said the club is beginning to have smaller events in addition to the annual conference. The club is hosting a young alumni panel on Oct. 24 with a focus on success after graduation.
Women in Business is not just for students who identify as women. It is open to students of all identities as well as non-business majors.
“We are about women in the workplace, so we can’t just have women to induce change and have those conversations,” Nickerson said. “We need all genders.”
Nickerson and Goldenberg said a main priority of the club is to strengthen the sense of the community between members and spread awareness among students outside of the business school.
“Moving forward, I would want to build a professional network for people within the club,” Goldenberg said. “We don’t want information sessions, but moving toward bridging Lehigh (alumni) with current students so they have mentors to look up to.”
The fifth annual conference will be held on April 16 in Iacocca Hall and will consist of two panel discussions and a dinner with a keynote speaker chosen by students. Afterward, students will have a chance to network with attendees and alumni.
Comment policy
Comments posted to The Brown and White website are reviewed by a moderator before being approved. Incendiary speech or harassing language, including comments targeted at individuals, may be deemed unacceptable and not published. Spam and other soliciting will also be declined.
The Brown and White also reserves the right to not publish entirely anonymous comments.