Looking for an organization at the University of Connecticut dedicated to female empowerment and career building, look no further. I’ll be delving into some reasons why I joined the UConn Women’s Network and why every female-identifying student should be interested in joining too!
In 2017, a woman named Jamie Vinick, a student at Syracuse University at the time wanted to develop an organization that would be focused on opportunity and growth for women. So, she did just that! She developed The Women’s Network (TWN) for female-identifying students to have the chance to work together and prepare for the world ahead. TWN is an international organization spanning more than 120 campuses in North America and Europe. The organization encourages participation in national events that help students from all majors to network and build connections. The tagline of TWN is “redefining ambition” which is meant to inspire the next generation of female leaders. They offer a variety of events both in-person and virtual to allow maximum participation for members. The events include career workshops and “Let’s Chat” events that help foster relationships between members and employers. TWN also works with recruiters from a variety of corporate partners like Kohl’s, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Octagon Credit Investors to show off the wonderful candidates in the network. TWN also uses these partnerships in order to host career fairs for members!
The Women’s Network often gets a reputation for being exclusively open to business majors because of the word “network,” but this is not the case. The Women’s Network has many functioning parts to it in order to be inclusive of all majors and interests. TWN circulates a newsletter that advertises internship and job opportunities and also has a blog that members may contribute to be published nationally.
My experience in TWN has been nothing but fantastic. In my first full semester as a member, I was given the opportunity to be a Campus Ambassador and participate in E-Board meetings with a group of women I may not have met otherwise. The Women’s Network at UConn will be hosting school-wide events and fundraisers to get involved in like a Period drive, a panel of female leaders coming to speak, and even fun bonding activities. TWN at UConn is a collective of smart, driven women who are all bound for success.
If that wasn’t enough for you, TWN also cares about inclusivity. They accomplish this by making membership free and extremely easy. To join The Women’s Network, you simply sign up on their membership form, select your school, and connect with your fellow members on campus (I will link it below, you’re welcome)! At the UConn chapter, while members are encouraged to attend a minimum of three meetings in order to be eligible for applying to a leadership role, you’re still able to be as active as you’d like! Want to come to one meeting a month? You can do it! There is no reason to not join The Women’s Network since the process is so easy!
By joining The Women’s Network, you are not only signing up to gain a resume builder and leadership experience, but you’re also signing up to be part of a movement of women who are redefining ambition.