This weekend, Undergraduate Women in Business (UWIB) will be hosting its 8th annual Professional Development Conference titled “Work Like a Girl! Gender in the Business World.” The conference will begin Friday at 5:45 p.m. in Jordan Hall of Science and concludes Saturday afternoon.
The weekend will consist of networking opportunities and workshops with companies such as JP Morgan, Deloitte, P&G, PwC and others. Keynote speakers for the conference include Nicole Sherrod, managing director of Ameritrade, and Theresa Sedlack, engagement director of Innovation Park.
Sophomore business major Erin Callaghan says she is excited to attend the conference because of the potential to learn more about and speak with the various companies in attendance.
“UWIB does a great job of providing opportunities for career exploration and networking,” Callaghan said. “The firms that will be in attendance cater to all majors within the business school and many are attractive places to potentially work.”
On SAO’s website, UWIB describes its goal as “to build a stronger sense of community among undergraduate women who aspire to business-related professions through events that highlight the many opportunities that are available to them.”
Junior and conference co-chair of UWIB Haley Rosenbach says that the keynote speakers represent women who have had continued success in the business world and are strong professional role models for aspiring businesswomen.
“I’m really excited for Nicole Sherrod because she’s a really successful woman in the financial industry and does a great job of balancing the home and work life,” Rosenbach said.
Rosenbach went further to explain how the keynote speakers embody two women who prove that a successful career and a family life are not mutually exclusive. She said she hopes conference attendees leave the conference with the notion that women do not have to choose between career and family.
“I think that now our generation has been raised to do both [family and career] and not question it and I think that this club and the opportunities it provides are a cool, unique way to foster that idea. It doesn’t have to be a choice between the two,” Rosenbach said.
Callaghan said she looks forward to the more relaxed atmosphere for networking that the conference will provide.
“I’m looking forward to the breakout and networking sessions that give us an opportunity to meet employers and hear stories about experiences they have had in their professional lives,” Callaghan said. “It is a great way to make the environment more relaxed and genuinely get to know people who have taken the time to come to Notre Dame.”
Rosenbach said the conference will provide a more relaxed setting for women in business that will hopefully inspire more questions for the keynote speakers and more discussion.
“Since it’s through UWIB, it’s only open to women on campus and I think that creates a really cool dynamic at the conference,” Rosenbach said. “In the business school, the gender ratio is kind of skewed so it creates a really cool unique setting where the girls are more comfortable.”
Callaghan said she hopes to walk away inspired by the keynote speakers and better acquainted with employers.
“I’m still discerning my career path, as we all are, but I believe this event will help me further develop my professional goals,” she said.
