The Women’s MBA Association (WMBA) participated in the National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA) 2016 Annual Conference and Career Fair, held at the Hilton Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut from October 20-22. The event was devoted to helping women MBAs and women in business graduate programs network and grow professionally.

Second-year MBA students Franziska Schmid, Sasha Alexandra Murr, and Alison Digesere represented Penn State at the event on Saturday, October 21. The five-hour Career Fair was focused on promoting awareness about the many jobs and internship positions looking to hire talented women. Company representatives set up booths to connect with conference goers, allowing both the students and companies an intimate networking opportunity.  “It was a smaller conference, so it allowed more individual attention to candidates,” said Digesere, “It was also a great platform for seminars that focus on women in business and in general.”

Companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Cigna, American Airlines, Amazon, Grainger, Black & Decker, Procter & Gamble, Amadeus, Food Lion, and Infosys attended. Government organizations, including the CIA and U.S. Department of State, were also present.  “It was a great networking event. I became aware of the many leadership development programs and opportunities offered by the companies,” said Murr.  Students could take advantage of panel workshops and free resume reviews offered during the Conference.   Schmid commented, “The conference size made it easy to talk with other business school students. The resume check was also really helpful – everyone was able to get time to have their resume looked over.”

The WMBA at the Penn State Smeal College of Business is an organization that aims to empower women to feel confident and prepared in handling the unique challenges and opportunities within the workforce. Our mission is to develop allies within the male community; participate in professional development events; and build a life-long support network of friends and colleagues. For more information about the WMBA at Penn State, please contact Sasha Alexandra Murr at azm5981@psu.edu.