Business etiquette. Check.
Mentor training. Check.
Engaging with corporate and industry leaders. Check.
Career management and goal setting. Check.
Networking with women professionals and alumni? Check and check.
This year, students attending Business Week can add another transferable skill to their repertoire. As part of a universitywide women’s initiative, the Business Week Team has partnered with the registered student organization Women in Business to offer a fifth day, titled INSPIRE: A Women’s Exchange of Knowledge, that is full of events.
According to Business Week President Paiton Florey, a finance major and insurance minor, INSPIRE will offer many opportunities for students to meet with female professionals from different industries and in different stages of their careers. Part one of INSPIRE kicks off at 9 a.m. Friday, February 26, with mentoring sessions held at the Hyatt Place Bloomington/Normal. Marketed to female students, these sessions will provide ample time to network with many female professionals and alumni as participants rotate every 15 minutes over the course of two hours. Business Week Vice President Morgan Rabas, a marketing major with a sequence in professional sales, said she is “eager to see female students learn from women who have already experienced scenarios that will help educate and continue conversations on equality in the workplace.”
Because accommodations are limited to 70 students for part one of INSPIRE, registration is required. Boxed lunches will be provided.
INSPIRE is open to all female Redbirds, but male students are also invited to attend the keynote speech by diversity officer Robyn Everhart, taking place at 1 p.m. at the Normal Theater. “The keynote speech will be motivational and educational—everyone can benefit from attending. We hope to fill all 300 seats of the Normal Theater,” Rabas said.
Registration for part one of INSPIRE started on February 1. For more information or to register, email the Business Week Team.
