Business students find her voice through networking and mentorship

Fate is no longer quiet. When she first joined the Craig School of Business Gender and leadership (gal) Student cohort, she was mostly silent during the discussion. But as she progressed through the program, she realized there was a lot to say and there was a supportive group to listen to.

“The gal definitely helped me speak up more about what I wanted,” she said. “Connecting with students who have the same goals as me helped me to be more confident.”

“Destiny is the perfect poster child for what Gal can do for his students,” said Kenny Williams, director of development at Craig School, who helped connect the business community to gender and leadership programs.

“Gals really helped us to open up our debate and become a confident, powerful voice,” Williams said. “In the beginning, she looked quiet and incredibly shy. Then she really blossomed and had a lot to contribute.”

The goal of the Gender and Leadership program is to provide opportunities for mentoring, professional development, encouragement and networking to students facing gender disparities in the workplace. The Gender and Leadership Student Cohort is open to all business students regardless of gender and hosts speakers, workshops and discussion groups to connect students with established professionals in the business community.

The program also helped her learn about professional development opportunities she would have missed otherwise.

“I’m a transfer student and it was a bit difficult to find a student club related to what I wanted to do in my career,” she said. “I’m studying HR management. I want to go my own way to become an HR director. Gal introduced me to the (HR Management Association) club and gave me insight into what opportunities to take advantage of.”

Connecting students with community members for networking and mentoring is an important part of business education. Networking with established professionals helps students better understand real-world business problems, find employment opportunities, and quickly establish careers after graduation.

Community donations on the day of giving – Wednesday, March 26th – Supports Craig School of Business Community Partners and the Gender and Leadership Student Cohort Fund with opportunities for students to build strong professional networks early in their careers.

She said listening to the career stories of experts established in gal workshops can help her build greater confidence in her own abilities.

“Meeting professional women in leadership positions has helped me a lot,” she said. “It’s great to meet women who are doing what they do and the challenges they encountered as women in their field, and it made me feel more comfortable knowing they have the same challenges and fears as me.

Lessons she has learned through her gender and leadership program inform her future work as a HR manager.

“I want to work as a recruiter. From a recruiter perspective, it’s important to look at the job seeker pool and give women a chance,” she said. “Women are qualified and bring new insights to the business.”

Fresno’s annual 24-hour online gift day Wednesday, March 26th. Craig School of Business relies on private financial support, including funds raised from The day to givesupporting experiential learning activities for students. visit fresnostate.dayofgiving.edu To learn how to support today’s Craig School of Business.