For the seven women on the planning committee of the 10th annual Undergraduate Stern Women in Business (USWIB) Conference, the conference’s theme, Rise to the Challenge, was more appropriate than ever. Planning a professional development conference as an undergraduate is always a big mission. But planning one during a pandemic was unprecedented.
Sharing Experiences and Finding Tools for Success
Each year, the USWIB Conference, which is organized entirely by undergraduate students, offers attendees valuable professional development lessons and opportunities. It includes panels on topics like networking, personal branding, and professional etiquette, and panels feature women from firms across industry. What’s more, they are moderated by Undergraduate Stern Women in Business board members. For the 2021 conference, the planning board knew they wanted to dig even deeper and meet participants where they are now.
“We wanted to tackle conversations around advocating for yourself at work and protecting your mental health,” says Alisha Vekaria ’22. The Stern junior is majoring in finance and sustainable business, and was director of conference for the event. “We also introduced attendees to more technical business concepts, including investment management and operation strategy. But it was all about educating yourself so that you can advocate for yourself. It was really about empowerment.”
Sessions like “Finding Your Motivation,” and “Be Your Own Hero” addressed the lived realities of women in business. They dealt with handling impostor syndrome, navigating professional advancement as women in male-dominated fields, and also turning obstacles into opportunities. The professionals who spoke on the panels were open and transparent about their experiences. They shared advice and stories on everything from making career transitions to advocating for yourself over the course of time.
Going Virtual, Going National, and Planning Every Detail
The planning committee for the Undergraduate Stern Women in Business Conference had plenty of opportunity to stretch their own professional skills as this conference went virtual for the first time. The switch posed challenges, including using a new online conference system. But proper preparation and communication helped them overcome any issues. Ultimately, they even found the new format had some unexpected benefits.
“In the past, the conference has only been one day, a Friday. A lot of the time, people have a conflict that day and aren’t able to attend, which limits our reach,” says Alisha. “So being online, we expanded the conference to a week. We had a few events happening Monday through Thursday, and then a whole day of panels and networking on Friday.” What’s more, they created a much-loved virtual networking session where attendees each got one-on-one time with featured conference guests.
In addition to giving participants more flexibility with attending on different days, the online nature of the conference also opened it up to undergraduate women in business from other schools. Schools represented included UC Berkeley, the University of Virginia, and Temple University. Alisha estimates that about half of the conference’s 500 registered attendees came from schools other than NYU.
And the experience for conference attendees was tremendously positive. “I think the people who attended and engaged with our programs and the speakers got a lot out of it, which was our whole purpose,” says Alisha. As a resource for women in business, the conference exceeded their goals. “We wanted to create a powerful, empowering experience. I think we did that, so, overall, mission accomplished.”
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