Saint Anselm offers a variety of clubs for students to partake in, allowing students to participate in the matters that are important to them. Numerous clubs have been added that embrace the importance of inclusivity. 

One of those clubs is the newly instated Women in Business Club, which was created this year. Two members of the club spoke with the Crier and gave their insight to the inspiration of the club and the goals they seek to accomplish with it.

         The Women in Business club was created by Kim Tran, club President, and Lauren O’Reilly in 2022. The club, however, “took two years to establish”, according to Tran. The Women in Business Club was inspired “[by] personal experiences in the classroom setting” Tran explained. Because the club founders were often “one of a few or the only women in a classroom filled with men” as Tran put it, the club was the perfect outlet for these students to practice in a field they so desired to be a part of.

         Another desire of the club creators was to put the Economics and Business department in the limelight, because Tran explained that it is “a great program that isn’t advertised well enough compared to competing majors”. Tran said that “many schools emphasize their business departments have multiple clubs” that put their emphasis on student engagement, and the only other club that does that at Saint Anselm is Club Finance. To “create a safe place for women and allies of WIB” as Tran said, the club was implemented to “create more attraction to some of the intimidating business majors that are male-dominated”.

         With oversight from faculty advisors Kelly Lalonde and Dina Frutos-Bencze, chosen because “they provide an abundance of resources and knowledge that has been important for the success of the club.” 

Tran said the club is able to “bridge the gap between academics and the workplace…create more awareness to issues that involve women in the workplace…[and] provide an open opportunity for women of all majors”. With the stellar work from these students in our community, broad opportunities are offered to embrace women’s role in male-dominated careers.

         With meetings “twice every month with one event per semester” Tran explained, the club is able to provide “resources for its members that range from career development workshops to networking opportunities” to women who want to conquer the career environment they will encounter in the future. 

In true Anselmian fashion, the club “recognize[s] the importance of giving back to the community” Tran said. These students take Anselmian ideals through their academics and beyond.

         The meetings discussed previously prepare the club’s members for the careers they are aiming for. In order to do this, they “run [their] club like a business”, Tran explained, and they allow “members to make an elevator pitch before each club meeting to broadcast their innovative ideas.”  They take the opinions of club members into account, as their beliefs are important to their success.

         To touch on the Anselmian values incorporated in the club, they put “a strong emphasis on integrating with the Saint Anselm Community”, as their club says that “any major is welcome to join the club as well as those who do not identify as women”. Inclusivity is important to the college as well as the club, so staying in touch with the values of the college allows them to provide what they are aiming to. They encourage individuals of all backgrounds, as “an important aspect of the mission of the WIB is to create awareness,” Tuft said.

         As for the club’s future plans, “WIB hopes to collaborate with Men of Color in setting up a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion panel with notable guest speakers” to incorporate themselves with other clubs that promote inclusivity. The club’s involvement in the Saint Anselm community incorporates them in things that will benefit their future experiences.

         The Women in Business Club provides many resources to develop the business interests of women on campus and prepare them for their futures after academics. Be on the lookout for events from them; involve yourself in the making of the future.