2018 September Newsletter
OHIO Women in Business (OWIB) has excelled into the 2018 fall semester. From professional events, social outings and philanthropic service OWIB has tried to create an environment where all members feel a deeper connection to the organization and to the other members.
EVENTS
August 29
The first event of the semester was slice night; slice night is held every Wednesday at a local restaurant in Athens where a slice of pizza is only $1. Slice night was a great informal, social way to reconnect OWIB members with those who might’ve lost touch over the summer. It was also a fun opportunity to meet members some might have never talked to back in the spring. And overall, it was a fantastic way to start the academic year with excitement and anticipation for all the wonderful things OWIB will do in the fall. Logan Linkhart, sophomore, accounting and business analytics major exclaims that slice night “was so great to see all the current members and meet and welcome all the new members! I can’t wait to see what this year has in store for us all!” The current VP of Social Initiatives, Allie Curtin, is continuing to plan more events for the rest of the semester that encompass a relaxed environment for members to get better acquainted. The goal of OWIB is not to just be something people can put on their resume; OWIB is a place for Ohio University students to develop their professional skills while also making friends with similar interests.
September 5 - Kick-Off Meeting
The second event of the semester was the informational kick-off meeting to attract potential members to OWIB. This meeting was dedicated to learning all the ins and outs of OWIB. The executive board listed the requirements each new member had to fulfill to be accepted and their next steps once accepted into the organization. They also talked about different ways of getting involved such as the committees (marketing, finance, social), and even how to become a VP. It was a great way to network with potential and current members of OWIB and to get the chance to talk about the organization and how it has helped current members develop their professional skills. Taylor Keller, sophomore, business analytics and accounting major, recalls her thoughts on the event by stating that “the kick-off meeting was helpful for prospective members, like myself, because it helped calm my nerves about the interviewing process and made me feel more comfortable with the organization.” The kick off meeting is essential for the start of a new semester in order to introduce prospective members to OWIB culture.
September 12 - Prepare for the Fair
The third event of the semester was prepare for the fair which was a great opportunity for all members to prepare for the upcoming Ohio University career fair. There were multiple different tables covering all the skills needed in order to practice talking to recruiters and how to properly represent yourself at the career fair. For example there was a resume table, a professional dress table and a elevator pitch table. Overall, it was a great way to work with other OWIB members and help improve professional skills. A new member to OWIB Sydney Bruckner, junior, health service administration major, said “this really helped me practice how to network with people and use these skills to present myself in a professional manner.”
September 19 - Welcome Back Bash
Once all prospective members had their interviews and were accepted into OWIB the executive board threw a kickoff karnival event to officially welcome everyone. It was a relaxed environment for members to meet one another, eat delicious food, and play some fun games. While some competed in cornhole and balloon pop, others had the opportunity to get their faces painted and pose in the photo booth with some fun props. To end the night on a sweet note, the Kona Ice truck stopped by and all members got to make their own delicious shaved ice. Anibel Niell, freshman, business management major, comments on the kickoff karnival as being an “exciting way to meet members and we got free Kona Ice which was awesome. After hanging out with everyone, I’m super excited for the upcoming year.” OWIB has always thrown a welcome event to make all new members feel welcome.
September 26 - Night of Networking
Now it was time to start developing the members in order to launch them into the professional world. Night of Networking is an annual event put on by OWIB every fall. This year members were lucky enough to hear from seven different companies varying from JP Morgan Chase all the way to Express. Each company took turns giving OWIB members a short speech on a casual day within their company. They were also nice enough to give members incite on what it is like being a woman in business. Afterwords members networked with these seven companies in a more relaxed environment than a career fair would provide them with. Katey Hinkle, junior, management and business analytics major, said the night of networking event “was an amazing experience where we were able to talk to recruiters in a more personalized and relaxed setting. I loved being able to connect with recruiters in this type of setting.”
September 27 - Soup Kitchen
The last event to finish September was community service at a soup kitchen. This was the first OWIB philanthropy event of the year. Members went to United Campus Ministry where they helped prepare the Thursday supper. Members helped to cook a nutritious meal for those in need within the Athens community. Not only did the event allow OWIB to participate in creating a meal for those in need, but it also gave OWIB a chance to show support for members within the Athens community. The event was a great chance for members to serve an important cause. Hailey Stinchcomb, freshman, marketing major, helped OWIB in the soup kitchen and loved it. Stinchcomb said, “Having the opportunity to give back to such a wonderful community meanwhile becoming closer with other OWIB members was priceless. I can’t wait for the other philanthropy events to come this semester.” VP of Philanthropy, Sara Bankovich, plans all the philanthropic events for OWIB. This year members have to attend at least two philanthropic events in order to stay an active member.
That concludes the events from September 2018. Be on the lookout for the October 2018 newsletter in a couple weeks. Thanks for reading. Any questions regarding the events or organization please email the VP of Marketing, Kara Buck, at kb982115@ohio.edu.
OHIO Women in Business
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