Students launch club for women in business

By Abigal Panitz     10/6/15 9:24pm

Rice’s women are preparing to run the world as a part of the new club Rice Women in Business. Seniors spoke on a panel at the club’s inaugural event last Tuesday about their past internships and answered questions.

Baker College sophomore Leah Rubin, Jones College senior Rachel Li and Lovett College senior Nicolette Groen founded the club last year.

According to Rubin, they put the plan into action with the help of President and Chief Investment Officer of the Rice Management Company Allison Thacker, who serves as RWIB’s faculty advisor. According to Rubin, the organization was founded in response to the difficulties of the internship search for women in business.

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“When you look up employees on LinkedIn and limit your filters by Rice alumni and company, it would be 15 male Rice alums and one female Rice alums for Barclays,” Rubin said. “And I found this to be the case for most banking fi rms. So hopefully through this I’ll be able to give women at Rice more resources to access information, alumni and companies.”

Rubin said she was inspired by University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School’s networking opportunities. She expressed hope that young women who attend RWiB events will learn from the female speakers and gain confidence to enter the field of business themselves.

“I think we tend to undervalue ourselves, to think we’re not qualified for things, and hearing from successful women who are in senior positions … I hope this will be a good first step in getting women into business,” Rubin said.

Panelists at the event had experience in the fields of strategy and management consulting, venture capital and investment banking. They answered questions such as how to prepare for interviews, what extracurricular activities to highlight on a resume and how to find a company that fi ts your career goals.

Groen, who was an intern this summer at Citigroup, pushed attendees to think beyond the prestige and basics of a company. She emphasized that each company’s culture is different, and applicants need to understand how the team functions before choosing where to work.

Julia Sunderland, who interned with Boston Consulting Group, said it was important to find role models at company information sessions and think of long-term goals.

“Could I see myself being this person in two, five, 10 years?” Sunderland, a Duncan College senior, said.

Hanszen College freshman Priya Kane said the event gave her more information on how to enter the business world.

“I feel inspired and reassured because it seems like you can start from any background and still end up figuring out what [fi eld of business] is the right fit for you,” Kane said.

Panelist and OwlSpark co-founder Isabel Scher voiced her hopes that the organization will really take off.

“One of the things Rice has been missing is not just an event-throwing group but a member group,” Scher, a Wiess College senior, said. “I think it would be awesome if it [RWIB] could transition from an events-throwing group to a membership organization.”

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