A blog that shares inspiring stories about women majoring in business aims to motivate women to choose business at BYU as their major.
“Jane Meets Tanner” began last year as a campus internship through the Marriott School of Management. The blog is sponsored by the Marketing Program Advisory Board.
Mary Lyman, a business management major and contributor to the blog, said a business major is an asset to a woman.
“A business degree gives you the tools you need to succeed in life,” Lyman said. “You learn how to be articulate, responsible and focused. My experience at the Marriott School has helped me to become a smarter person and a stronger woman.”
Each week the blog features inspiring stories of women traveling the world on business endeavors, tips on what students should know about a few business courses and reasons why some women at BYU chose business as their major.
The blog also posts weekly information about registering for classes, business fashion or upcoming events.
Business professor John Gardner said business can help women better handle family finances and learn to become better at budgeting.
“Many women will contribute excellent full-time service in their families,” Gardner said. “The skills and talents that are developed through business management education can prepare individuals for strong contributions in business, in government, in the community, in social causes, in church responsibilities and in the home. It also enhances one’s ability to manage organizations and families more effectively.”
Natalie Bake is a business management major and intern for the Jane Meets Tanner blog. She hopes the blog will inspire women at BYU to choose business as their major.
“There are moments when I look around me and notice that the amount of women can be counted on one hand,” Bake said. “It’s during this that I really wish women would choose to join the business program.”
Female BYU students have many reasons for choosing business as their major. Bake was first inspired to study business in college after her mother graduated in business.
“I love math, and I enjoy working with money,” Bake said. “I also felt like business was such a stable degree to have and I knew that if the time ever arose, I would be able to find a job that would bring in a stable income for my family.”
Bake acknowledged that the business program can be competitive and it can be scary to compete with men in the program. She also pointed out that women could get turned off from the business major because of the stereotype that a typical businesswoman is a feminist, has to work long hours and doesn’t want a family.
She said this isn’t necessarily true and that one of purposes of the blog is to get rid of that image.
“The skills you learn in the Marriott School really help build a stable and successful family,” Bake said. “One example of a trait you learn is finances and budgeting. Women who learn this skill in the business program can take it to their families and be a leader.”
Rebecca Watson, an accounting major at BYU, values the education she received from the BYU Marriott School of Management.
“The Marriott School has jump-started my career through networking opportunities, high-caliber professors and excellent classes,” Watson said. “The accounting major has opened up many opportunities professionally and personally.”
To visit the “Jane Meets Tanner” blog, please visit the website at http://janemeetstanner.blogspot.com/.
