Women of the BYU business program are stepping into the Tanner Building’s world of men with greater confidence due to the support of the Women in Business Club.
Emily Codling, a member of the Women in Business Club and co-director of the Jane Meets Tanner blog, remembers her first semester at BYU as an undeclared freshman.
“Its daunting. BYU is a school where everyone is so special that no one is, and as an unsure freshman, I felt lost,” Codling said. “I went to the first opening social of Women in Business Club and found where I belonged.”
Hannah Parker, another member of the Women in Business Club, shared a similar experience about her first time entering the Tanner Building.
“As a freshman I signed up for pre-business classes. Sometimes it was good, and sometimes it was bad, but you always feel outnumbered compared to all the guys,” Parker said. “It makes you stand out in every class you enter.”
The Women in Business Club is specifically designed to help female students who have a desire to take a place in the business world. Those interested in business majors have the opportunity to come together for support and learn what it takes to succeed. The group often brings in special guest speakers who have gone through the same experiences and are now CEOs of companies, such as Megan Faulkner Brown, founder of the ‘Sweet Tooth Fairy’.
“The best thing is that you don’t even have to be a business major to join in this club,” said Codling. “You can simply join to have the chance to see women in all aspects of life: with careers, moms and those who are juggling both.”
The leaders of the Women in Business Club are aware of the general concern that most girls have upon entering the business world. Their desire as a committee is to help open everyone’s eyes to all the possibilities that can be theirs, according to Natalie Dolbin, co-president of the Women in Business Club.
“We will teach you all you need to know and you can take that and become the world’s greatest CEO, or you can take that and become the world’s best Relief Society president,” Doblin said.
To further encourage business school affiliations, the Women in Business Club started the Jane Meets Tanner blog. The leadership of the organization worked to incorporate a mixture of relevant events and what people want to read to create a blog to help freshmen feel connected and to empower women, according to Codling.
This year the leadership of Women in Business is pushing to create a greater connection between the blog and the club. The general consensus: the blog is well liked among its readers. For the writers of the blog, it is an open channel to explore their thoughts, Codling said.
“Journaling like that helps you discover who you are, because college is the time in which we become who we are going to be,” Codling said.
The Women in Business Club invites everyone to come to their opening social, Creating Your Future, on Wednesday Sept. 23 at 5 pm in the Tanner Building room 410. The main theme: to empower women, no matter their major.
