This week, I had the opportunity to speak to Mikayla Michels, president of one of the business fraternities on campus: Delta Sigma Pi. She took me through her experience in the fraternity, as president, and as a woman in a male-dominated sector.
Mikayla is studying finance at the Leeds School of Business and says that joining Delta Sigma Pi is the best decision she has made in college. She’s been involved in several leadership positions in the fraternity, but was not initially planning on running for the role of president. After being nominated for the position, and obviously being selected for it, she is glad she took on the role.
“I care about the fraternity, I’ve been in it a long time, and I wanted to make sure that it was run correctly and efficiently, and I believed in my ability to do that, and I guess other people did, too.”
Of course, with a high position like that comes great responsibility. Mikayla was hesitant to accept at first because so many people would be looking to her for answers and solutions. But, she knew she was capable of doing it and she didn’t want the fraternity to suffer at somebody else’s hands, especially since she knew it so well from years of involvement.
“It’s been a really big learning experience. It’s difficult being the person who makes all the decisions at the end of the day,” she said. But, “it is nice to be that person that is really knowledgable, and be somebody that people can come to with issues that I can hopefully help solve for them.”
When I asked Mikayla if she has any advice for women who want to take on leadership positions, but are hesitant because of their gender, she said that it’s something she is still working on herself. However, she’s very passionate about equality and is a firm believer that women can do anything men can. Her advice is to start small, in some minor leadership positions here and there. She says, “once you have a little bit of experience and background in doing something like that, you’ll have experience for the next time you do it. So it’s kind of just starting off small with small leadership positions, and then learning about yourself, and how you’re a leader, and gaining confidence.”
We then went on to talk about our experiences of not being taken seriously, simply because we are women. I am also a finance major, and I know I have definitely experienced some misogyny. Mikayla says it’s really frustrating not being taken seriously in social situations because people don’t know anything about her or her work ethic, and it’s super unfair. She says, “I’m biased, but I love women. I feel like we can do literally anything. I think if people are going to judge you on your gender or anything like that, they are just a bit close-minded, and if we have to work to change somebody’s viewpoints on that, if that’s what it takes, then I’m going to work to show them that I can literally do anything that they can do. I’m an asset.”
After college, Mikayla will be moving to New York and working as a financial analyst for JP Morgan Chase. She is so grateful for her time and experiences at Delta Sig, and she feels that she has grown so much as a person and made so many amazing friends in the fraternity. “People are always like, ‘sororities are where I found my bridesmaids,’” but for Mikayla: “no, it was my fraternity.”
I wish Mikayla the best of luck in her future career and I truly believe she is an amazing role model for women everywhere.