The new Women in Business Club has garnered a lot of interest and has plans to host events and guest speakers to empower women in not only business, but other industries as well.
The Women in Business Club was approved by the SDSU Students’ Association this month. It was founded by Brittany McKnight, assistant professor of business law and adviser to the club, as well as Mia Andrejeski, a junior in business economics and president of the club.
The club’s mission is to support and empower women who are interested in any aspect of business. It is not limited to just students in the Ness School of Business, and any student, regardless of major or gender, can get involved.
“I think something that makes this club different from some of the other ones is that it’s so open,” McKnight said. “It’s just anybody that’s interested in any aspect of business. So, the mission is obviously to support and empower women, but it’s extremely broad in its reach, you know, we’re not focusing on one particular area or another.”
McKnight added that the club is not just about attending events, it is about providing networking opportunities and pushing for personal development for its members. The club’s leaders want to help students gain confidence in situations like public speaking and negotiating, and dealing with imposter syndrome, something many women in the industry struggle with.
“You know, if you look at economic trends and how women were impacted by the pandemic, for example, women were more likely to leave the workforce to take care of kids or to take care of their aging parents,” McKnight said. “They’re not coming back as quickly as men are. So, I think it how it would help the Ness School is by giving us a space and a voice and just recognition to women.”
She pointed out that although there are opportunities for women in business, this club would provide a space to support and encourage women. McKnight has been involved in other women in business organizations before and felt like she received a lot of benefits from being a part of them. She thought an organization like those would be good for students as well.
The club plans to bring in industry professionals to speak and educate students, as well as hosting conferences and events at Ness School Downtown, located at Startup Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, SD. The club is also considering attending a Women in Business conventions in the spring.
Andrejeski joined because she felt it was something that would be beneficial to students and influential for a lot of women on campus.
“It’s something that SDSU should have had a long time ago,” Andrejeski said. “It’s been really hard for women to get in there in the business field. A lot of girls who come to the club have expressed that they want to learn how to negotiate and how to public speak and be a little clearer and more concise.”
She thinks it is important for students to learn how to be comfortable with being the only woman in the room, something that reaches beyond just the business field.
She also said that there seems to be a lot of interest in the club which they find very exciting. The club already has held two meetings so far this semester. There were about 40 attendees at the last meeting, and the club leaders hope to increase that number.
The club holds meetings on the last Monday of every month at 6 p.m. in Harding Hall, room 025. The next meeting, Monday, Nov. 27, will host guest speaker, Katie McNeary Jones, an SDSU alum, nutrition coach, and owner and entrepreneur of Synergy Strength Studio in Brookings. She will speak about the process of starting her own business, as well as other life experiences that got her to this point in her career.
The club’s members are also already working on planning a large kick-off event for March in honor of Women’s History Month.
The club is an easy commitment, according to Andrejeski. Members can attend meetings when they want to and there are no dues required yet.
“If you don’t like it, you never have to come back,” she said. “It’s more just for everyone to have community.”
