Club Notes Student Restores Women in Business Club
In spring 2019, the Women in Business (WIB) club seemed in danger of dismantling. All its executive board members were graduating. Crystal Clausen (’22, business administration- business analytics) was afraid CWU would be left without an organization that promotes the equity and acceptance of women in the workforce and works to eliminate stereotypes in employment. Clausen fell in love with WIB’s purpose when she attended its annual conference during her freshmen year. To continue to offer a community that uplifts women in male- dominated fields and addresses inequities in the world of business, Clausen took it upon herself to reinstate the club. She had to start from scratch because none of the founding documents had been retained. Under Clausen’s leadership, WIB has assembled over 30 active members and boasts an all-new executive board. The club meets eight times per quarter, alternating weekly between professional development topics and team-building exercises. The club’s capstone event is its annual conference. Held virtually for the first time, this year’s theme was Find Your Voice. Alumni, faculty, and industry professionals spoke on a
economics and finance joined Tara Lee (’20, supply chain management) in leading a session on building confidence. Kt McBratney, founder of OwnTrail, led a session about blazing your own path. Following the conference, the club held a professional development meeting focused on exploring OwnTrail, a platform launched in 2020 which allows women to create visual, non- linear representations of their life paths. WIB met to complete their paths with the purpose of articulating their professional journeys and accomplishments while fighting against the pressure to constantly project a perfect life (a pressure often fueled by social media). To embrace life’s difficult moments, OwnTrail encourages users to include milestones which often hold negative connotations (such as a layoff, medical setback, or divorce) to help women showcase their resiliency and adaptability. CB Recruiting and Events Coordinator and WIB advisor Olivia Vester found the resource to be helpful. “Having a place where you can share what is important to you, or what helped shape you to be who you are today is powerful,” Vester said. WIB treasurer Maura Santamaria (’22, business administration- marketing and human
“WIB has given me so many opportun- ities and I can’t wait to return the favor to other students in the coming year.” CRYSTAL CLAUSEN ('22)
wide array of topics. Laurie Nichols (’84, accounting) led a discussion on how to handle difficult conversations; Sabrina Dominguez Williams (’18, business administration- marketing) spoke to students about the importance of campus philanthropy. Professor of Management Kathryn Martell led a talk on impostor syndrome; Ana Tonseth, senior lecturer in
resource management) said she’s gained so much from the club. “Our meetings consist of lots of professional development,” Santamaria said. “So, during my time with the club, I have had the opportunity to network with recruiters and have gotten a glimpse of firms that are out there and what they have to offer.”
Crystal Clausen
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