[2013] Looking Back Before Looking Forward

Fall of 2012 was an amazing time for us at YWiB SFU. There were many accomplishments, many learning experiences, and there is much to be proud of. As our Spring semester begins, the team has been reflecting on our favourite moments from last semester:

• First and foremost, our Launch Party! Throughout the evening, over 250 ladies (and a few gentlemen) mingled, laughed, and learned all about YWiB SFU! It was a great event, and the whole team was very proud of everything we accomplished. The success of this event is no doubt responsible for the increase in membership applications we received this year - we were proud to welcome nearly 120 new YWiB members to our family! Read more about Launch Party here.
• Another highlight for the team was our very first workshop of the year, Impression Management. Though we have held other (equally impressive) events since then, the first one of the year is always special. It was great to see everything come together, after a summer of planning, and to enjoy how well we work together as a team. We are so grateful to our awesome speakers, Margaret Page and Anda Prunianu, without whom this workshop would not have left such a wonderful impression! Read more about Impression Management here.
• One of our largest philanthropy events of the semester, our Find Your Passion workshop, tops the list for many. Our friend and a great supporter of YWiB, Loretta Cella, graciously donated her time for a two day workshop with a select group of our members. Throughout the workshop, attendees were encouraged to set goals, self-reflect, and take responsibility for themselves. It was an eye-opening and valuable experience for all who attended! Read more about Find Your Passion here.

While we are proud of all of our events and socials, these are just a sample of those that stuck out for us.  Other highlights include our Wine Social, second workshop on Workplace Harmony, Education Generation's Birthday Fiesta, and our Holiday Dinner!

As we reflect on 2012, we also look ahead to some of the amazing things we have planned for the upcoming semester! Some of these (which are sure to be highlights!) include:

• Project GIVE's upcoming collaboration with Social Entrepreneurship SFU for Business Plans 101! Featuring a couple of really inspiring speakers, this is definitely an event not to be missed for all of our future entrepreneurs! You can RSVP here.
• Our first workshop of 2013, Holistic Living! Focusing on a holistic lifestyle, including physical, emotional, and mental health, our impressive list of presenters are sure to teach as all something new! RSVP for our workshop here.
• Planning is officially underway for our 2013 International Women's Day Conference! Our team is working hard to make this year our best yet. The conference will be occurring on Saturday, March 9, with more information coming your way soon. To stay up to date on all IWD related updates, follow us on Twitter @YWiBsfu and like us on Facebook at YWiB SFU.

Regardless of what 2013 brings, we know that between our sister chapters and our members, we are in good hands. We can't wait to see what the next year brings - what are you most looking forward to in 2013?

[Find Your Passion] Jenny's Experience

One of our dedicated members, Jenny Wong, participated in the two-day Find Your Passion workshop in November. Here is a personal account on her experience:

Around mid-November, I attended the first of two-day series Find Your Passion workshop presented by two-time TEDx speaker and founder of Passion Foundation, Loretta Cella. On both days, I gained something precious: a new perspective. I was introduced to angel cards that not only provided guidance but also excitement. At first, I thought my two cards, expansiveness and snake woman, contradicted each other as the former suggests more is better while the latter suggests less is more. But, with some afterthought, I came to see them as complementary to one another. The former suggests that I have more options than I know of right now in regards to doing fun yet continuously challenging work that I love post-graduation - with awesome people, no less - while the latter suggests shedding old layers of skin by saying no to the endless array of available opportunities and creating boundaries as I gradually resume taking 100% responsibility for my success.

At the end of the workshop, Loretta encouraged all of us to create a community engagement project which can range anywhere from a blog post to a YouTube video or even something offline. I’m super excited to see what projects come to life (fueled from passion!) in about six months.

The two perspectives I walked away with from this workshop are gold and applicable to many and for that, I am filled with gratitude. I’m also grateful for the YWiB girls I got to know and become accountability partners with for our personal goals going forward – whether at future YWiB events or through social media.

- Jenny

{Education Generation} Birthday Fiesta!

This past November, a few of our members got together and helped organize a fundraiser for one of our favourite organizations, Education Generation. Erikka Ogrodnick, one of those dedicated members, shared her experiences in being a part of the event: For those who don’t know, Education Generation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for scholarships that will allow young leaders in developing countries the opportunity to attend higher education — amazing, right? They are partnered with many organizations and programs nationally and around the world, in order to fulfill their idea that everyone should have access to education—and they have raised funds for 343 scholarships to date! As far as the people involved, I didn't get to know all of them as well as I would have liked, but after listening to them speak, it was clear how passionate they were with their program.

Now, about the EdGen Birthday Fiesta Fundraiser—I would just like to say that whoever came up with this idea is brilliant! Who wouldn't want to come out to a Fiesta-themed Birthday party that supports a great cause? And yes, the event was just as fun as it sounds, if not more (and I was “only” a volunteer!).

Imagine walking into a large, spacious room decked out in brightly colored balloons and decorations, mariachi music playing, and the bar stocked to a bursting point. Yes, you have just walked into EdGen’s Second Birthday Party! To kick the night off, we had the pleasure of hearing a number of inspiring speeches and stories given by the Executive Director of EdGen, Eileen Knowles, as well as some words from one of their program participants who spent time in Ecuador—incidentally the home country of Ms. Knowles. After being thoroughly inspired, guests were able to grab a margarita at the bar, fill their plates with delicious appetizers, and mingle over classic party games. Balloon Pop, Toonie Toss, Pin-the-Tail on the Donkey, a crazy photo booth—there was even a piñata. Needless to say, there was not a single dull moment at this birthday bash!

So, is Education Generation is a great cause? Yes. Was the Birthday Fiesta was insanely fun? Yes. Are the people behind EdGen are amazingly passionate and inspired? Yes! Despite all of these reasons, you might be surprised to hear none of these are the reasons I initially decided to donate my time to support EdGen. In fact it was YWiB—Young Women in Business—that provided me the opportunity to take part in this fundraiser. YWiB is a group of ladies at Simon Fraser University that are driven to succeed and passionate about giving back, and upon hearing about this event, and there was a number of us that jumped at the opportunity to donate our time—and our Birthdays! You heard right, one of EdGen’s most successful fundraisers to date is their “Donate Your Birthday” campaign, which YWiB’s very own President, Miss Nicole Braam got to learn more about and promote to party-goers at the Fiesta.

"It was fantastic to see everyone so enthusiastic about this fundraiser. People were eager to donate their birthdays and learn more about how they could help EdGen's cause. It was a great gathering of generous and sincere people who just want to do good in the world!"  - Nicole Braam, YWiB SFU President

In all, there was passion, fun, and excitement at EdGen’s Second Birthday Party to contain in one simple blog post. I know how much work went into planning and running the event, and those that were involved deserve a huge round of applause—or maybe just a nice big margarita ;)

To learn more about Education Generation, and how you can get involved,  visit them here To learn more about the “Donate Your Birthday” campaign, use the “Contact Us” feature on the EdGen webpage to request information.

[Wine Social] Relax + Indulge

Earlier in November, our members had the pleasure of attending our legendary Wine Social! Hosted by the charming and charismatic Tim Bradley, ladies learned about different wines and various pairings while enjoying some tasty treats! You can find the recipe for our popular red velvet cupcakes below. Thanks to generous sponsorship by Okanagan Crush Pad Winery, our members enjoyed:

• Haywire Rose 2010
• Haywire Switchback Pino Gris 2011
• Haywire Chardonnay 2011
• Haywire Pinot Noir 2010

Tim Bradley is one of Burnaby Height's most well-known wine experts. His extensive knowledge in winery stems from his incredible passion for wine tasting and food pairing. He is currently the Tasting Bar Manager at Bottle Jockey. Always attracting a crowd wherever he goes with his energetic personality, Tim is a wine professional that will leave you with fine-drinking facts everyone is desperate to know about. Connect with Tim on Twitter @timmehbee.

Also, a huge thank you to our other sponsors, Lush Cosmetics and Starbucks Canada.

As promised, here is the recipe for the red velvet cupcakes, with cream cheese icing:

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 tablespoons red food coloring 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, softened 2 sticks butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

[Impression Management] The Art of a Good First Impression

On Thursday night we invited our brand-new members to attend our very first workshop of the year, Impression Management. We spent the evening learning about the do's and don'ts of a strong first impression, as well as key tips to bring to networking events and interviews.

Two of our members share their experiences:

"Don’t cross your legs or arms when trying to negotiate something. Always have business cards in hand when going to a networking event. Ask questions after an interview and send a follow-up email to an interviewer. All that and so much more you missed, if you didn’t attend the first YWiB SFU workshop this year!

What could be better than spending Thursday evening interacting with fellow YWiBers and improving your communication skills? After chatting around for a bit members and guests were seated for an exciting talk from stunning Margaret Page, speaker, author, and coach. Margaret shared all tips and tricks on how to maximize your personal impact. Three simple steps to start off are: 1. Be fully present 2. Compliment others 3. Leave situations/conditions better than you found them.

The second speaker opened our eyes on interviews and networking. Anda Prunianu is a campus recruitment specialist from Deloitte. Anda works with students all the time so her hints were very relevant and helpful! Always do your research before going for an interview, relax and be yourself. "

Sasha Rudenko YWiB SFU member @sash_ru

"I had the privilege to attend YWIB SFU's Impression Management Workshop on Wednesday evening. I was impressed with the set up, organization and the choice of speakers who came to talk to us. Margaret Page, a well known etiquette coach, gave us wonderful tips on how to make a lasting impression when we first meet someone. This is important especially as students looking to get into the job market.  What stood out for me after listening to Margaret was "to be fully present when engaging with others" and  "to always leave situations/conditions better than we found them." She also advised us to get people talking about themselves by asking them questions, as this will leave a great impression to the people we speak to. Anda from Deloitte  gave us great tips to enhance our interview and networking skills. She told us to be prepared by researching before hand  when walking into an interview or networking event. We should always have a goal in mind when attending networking events. Anda encouraged us to ask intelligent questions to our  interviewers and to follow up after interviews. The Impression Management workshop  was a great learning workshop for me."

T'sharzzi Ngaira YWiB SFU member @tsharzzi

We are so grateful for Margaret Page and Anda Prunianu for coming and sharing their stories with us. For more info on Maragaret, check out her website here. You can connect with Anda on LinkedIn here. 

As always, we are infinitely grateful to our sponsors, whom without we could not put on such high caliber events. Special thanks to The Beedie School of Business, Capilano Suspension Bridge, and Unilever Canada

{Launch Party} Who is Miss YWiB?

Last week, we kicked off the year in style with our annual Launch Party. After winning “Event of the Year” at the BASS Awards last year with Launch Party 2012, we knew it was going to be tough to raise the bar.

With help from our amazing sponsors at Butter Media, Lavish Design, Browns Brentwood and Blanche Macdonald, however, we pulled it off. Over 150 guests enjoyed makeovers from Blanche, tae kwon do lessons from Kees Taekwondo, and manicures from some of our very talented friends. Photos from Butter's photo booth can be found here. Our guests also enjoyed learning some DIY beauty tips, including a sugar honey scrub and banana face mask. Recipes can be found at the bottom of this post!

Launch Party wasn’t all fun and games, though. Upon arriving, the ladies were charged with the task of learning as much about YWiB SFU as possible in order to answer the question, “Who is Miss YWiB?” Throughout the night, we asked our guests to add their major and/or concentration to a large map. By the end of the night, we finally had our answer. YWiB girls are more than just business students. YWiB recognizes that every woman is in the business of building her career, whether she is a science major or an arts student. After adding their names to our map, guests received their swag bag full of goodies generously donated by Unilever Canada.

The executive team would like to thank everyone who attended Launch Party. Your energy and passion for YWiB SFU is inspiring, and we can’t wait to get to know each and every one of you this year. We are also so grateful for all the support from our amazing sponsors, whom without Launch Party would not have been possible.

Membership applications are now closed, however we are still accepting applications for participants for Project GIVE. Applications are due Sunday, September 30 at 11:59 pm.

Our photos from Launch Party can be found here. Below are the recipes used at our DIY Beauty table, enjoy!

Banana Mask	Avocado Mask	Sugar Honey Scrub
Banana – 1 slice Honey – ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice – 1-2 drops	Avocado – 1 teaspoon Honey – ½ teaspoon	Sugar – ½ teaspoon Honey – ½ teaspoon Olive Oil – 1-2 drops Vaseline – less than ½ a teaspoon
What is this good for? Banana helps nourish skin Honey absorbs and retains moisture Lemon juice exfoliates the skin, reducing the appearance of scars and acne This mask is particularly good for oily skin	What is this good for? Avocados and honey are particularly moisturising This mask is particularly great for dry skin	What is this good for? Honey is known for its antibacterial and moisturizing properties Sugar can be used as an exfoliator Good for exfoliation and application wherever needed, best for the lips

{SOUL Mentorship} Celebrating a Successful Year

July marked the end of another year for our SOUL Mentorship program. This year was a huge success for SOUL with 30 mentor/mentee matches. We had mentors from a wide variety of industries and professions, ranging from tourism to finance and entrepreneurs to actors. The portfolio of mentees was equally as diverse, with women representing communications, arts and even sciences! As one of the mentees cleverly put it, “even though it’s Young Women in Business, I guess for us it’s Young Women in Biology!”

Last month, we celebrated the end of a successful year at the SOUL Wrap-Up Party. Mentees and mentors shared stories of their experiences; what they learned, what they accomplished, and where they planned to take their relationships now. Some women told of how their mentor pushed them out of their comfort zone, whether it was to apply for a co-op position or plan for an international exchange. Others explained how their mentors encouraged them to slow down, take a breath, and enjoy their now. Many of the mentors also expressed their gratitude for the program; several spoke of how their mentees inspired, surprised, and humbled them.

One mentee/mentor pair expressed how much they enjoyed trying new restaurants together, while another told of how much they appreciated their monthly phone-dates. Many of the mentors were able to provide their mentees with fantastic opportunities, such as office visits and informational interviews. Others helped with interview prep and cover letters, while some simply offered an open mind over a cup of coffee. There were few similarities in how meetings were conducted, how goals were set, or what was accomplished. There was, however, one thing that everyone seemed to agree upon, and that was how grateful they were for their mentors guidance and support. As university students, there are so many doors open to us at one time and it can be difficult (and intimidating!) to pick one. Having the support and advice of someone who has been there and made these tough choices is invaluable. Below is a note from one of this year's mentees, Steph Sia, regarding her experiences in the program:

After being involved in Project GIVE, I knew I wanted to become involved in another YWiB program before I graduated. It was my last semester at SFU and the opportunity with SOUL arose. Since it was my last semester, I couldn't have asked for better timing. As an entrepreneur, I was looking for somebody just like me but to my surprise, I was matched with someone completely different from me. But little did I know, my match was actually what I was looking for. We actually had similar backgrounds and we went through the exact same struggle as graduation soon approached: wish we had studied something else during our undergrad, lack of jobs in the market, and doing something completely unrelated on the side compared to what we actually went to school for. My mentor helped coach me throughout this rocky transition and urged me to stop, take a break from what I was doing, and to travel. Best advice ever. Through SOUL I found someone to coach me for what I think was the toughest part of my life this far and more importantly, a friend. Thank you YWiB!

Steph

We are so proud of everything the mentors and mentees accomplished this year, and we are humbled by SOUL’s rapid growth and success. Planning for our 2012/2013 program is already well under way! If you are interested in joining the program, either as a mentee or mentor, or simply curious, please contact our VPs of Mentor Relations, Kathy and Tia, at kathy@ywib.ca or tia@ywib.ca.

Our {YWiB SFU} Stories…2011-2012 Recap

Throughout this dynamic YWiB SFU 2011-12 term, we have created many new stories. This last post of the year is to reflect upon positive new visions we have set forth through the YWiB SFU experience. Below is a collection of blog posts from our very own members and guest speakers to recap this term’s memories. {Launch Party} We started our year with great success at the Shoot for the Stars Launch Party. YWiB SFU was recognized recently at the Beedie School of Business, BASS Awards, by winning the Event of the Year! Angela Jung of Yellowrainbootz participated and broadcasted our event on her very own channel.

Check out her broadcast at yellowrainbootz.com/2011/09/ywib-sfu-launch-party.html.

{Wine & Dine Social} The Wine & Dine Social was the first of many events that were held and it was the premier event where members got to mingle and meet each other for the very first time. Over some great wine and food pairings presented by Katelynne Katona, our expert Sommelier for the night, and Browns Social House, members had a fun and relaxing evening networking with each other. Winnie Ko, one of our members, blogged about this event, calling it “Fine, Fresh, and Fierce”.

Read more of what she had to say about the event at winnieheart.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/fine-fresh-fierce-we-got-it-on-lock.

{My Social Network} My Social Network brought together a fine panel of the Lower Mainland’s social media gurus: Rick Chung, an independent broadcast journalist, Beverly Pomeroy, the CEO of Global Currents, and Grace Lanuza from Mosaic Experiential Marketing. They talked about building and maintaing a personal and professional brand and facilitating relationships online.

Visit Rick Chung’s website to see what he has to say about personal branding online: www.rickchung.com/2011/11/young-women-in-business-ywib-sfu.html www.rickchung.com/2011/10/build-personal-brand-online.html.

{Graduate} The Graduate workshop brought together a group of stellar speakers: Maureen McKinnon, owner of McKinnon Consulting Group, Catherine Rocheleau, CEO of Ignite Leadership International, and Chelle Morgan, author of the fashion blog, Discovering Elegance to provide our members with job seeking expertise and style tips to give their prospective employers the first impression that they are looking for. Catherine Rocheleau has written an article on how to ignite a great first impression by starting with some SPARK, which can be found on her blog. Chelle Morgan shares her experience as a speaker at the event on her blog site.

{The Pursuit of Happiness} The Pursuit of Happiness workshop featured Gina Chong of Butter Studios, Monika Hibbs of The Doctor’s Closet, and Loretta Cella from The Passion Foundation, women who spoke of how to pursue ones’ passion for a career. Our member Megan te Boekhurst  shared some of the knowledge that she received from the event. From Loretta’s speech, a tip she learned is that “people who flourish in life find three to five positives in every challenge they face.” Elizabeth Rosalyn The also learned from Loretta that “the pursuit of happiness is a life-long journey, which you can make worthwhile by approaching life's opportunities with a winning combination of vulnerability, confidence, and positivity.”

Read more about the tips Megan Te Boekhurst learned on her blog at meganteboekhorst.com/2012/02/19/the-pursuit-of-happiness-a-workshop-on-passion-presented-by-ywibsfu.

More of what Elizabeth gained from the speakers can be found on her blog at onceuponadreamer.blogspot.ca/2012/02/pursuit-of-happiness.html.

{International Women’s Day}

"I know I'm doing what I love because when I'm doing it, time doesn't exist." - Anna Rice on following your dreams

The International Women’s Day YWiB SFU conference brought together an elite panel of strong and empowering women leaders from the industry. Speakers shared their stories regarding personal experiences as a woman in their industry and how to stay true to yourself in today's world. It was an inspirational day for those who attended the event. Michaela Klassen, from the IWD 2012 Organizing Committee - Marketing & Communications, has collected a series of quotes from Twitter of the special day on Storify.com.

And last, we would like share the experiences from our programs: SOUL Mentorship, Project GIVE, and Philanthropy.

{SOUL Mentorship} The SOUL Mentorship Program (Supporting Our University Leaders) has successfully paired 32 mentees this year with highly esteemed professionals.  Mentees were involved in monthly meetings, job shadowing, resume and cover letter building, mock interviews, and discussions on how to get the most out of higher education. SOUL has also been featured on the front page of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences web page.

The article can be found here: fass.sfu.ca/ywib. 

{Project GIVE}

The Project GIVE Program (Generating Innovative Visions of Entrepreneurship) has provided the YWiB SFU members with the opportunity at creating their own social entrepreneurship projects through seminars and mentor sessions. This year we had teams creating projects ranging from the Community Box harnessing the idea of collaborative consumption, S.C.R.A.P. making sustainable creations through recycled art projects, to Mothers Helping Mothers exchanging volunteering hours for free childcare.

In particular, two of the Project GIVE participants, Emily Louie and Janice Jonathan founded Prudence Co-operative. The Prudence Co-operative works with existing pre-employment and resource centers for recovering women in the Lower Mainland to provide opportunities for women who face barriers to employment. They have been awarded runner-up in the recent SFU Student Entrepreneur of the Year competition, the team plans to continue the growth and success of the Prudence Co-operative.

To find out more about the Prudence Co-operative, visit their blog at prudencecommunity.wordpress.com.

{Philanthropy- Holiday Smile Drive with GVCSS} The Philanthropy program, a new addition to YWIB SFU, has made a big impact in the community. During the 2011/2012 holiday season, our members participated in the Holiday Smile Drive with Greater Vancouver Community Service Society (GVCSS) in collecting toothbrushes and toothpastes for the Care Package Drive.  We would like to thank our team of compassionate YWiB SFU girls who volunteered to assemble and deliver 400 Care Packages and our generous donors who dropped toothbrushes and toothpastes at our collection boxes, thus making the Vancouver Downtown Eastside a little brighter!

To read more about this project, see the cover story that Greater Vancouver Community Services Society wrote about us in their Winter 2011 newsletter:  gvcss.bc.ca/docs/nl_winter_2011.pdf?LanguageID=EN-US.

VP of Mentor Relations: Jennifer Ganapathy’s Project SEPIA story…

Our very own VP of Mentor Relations Jennifer Ganapathy went on a trip to India to launch Project SEPIA which seeks to provide social dialogue opportunities amongst low-income female workers, specifically domestic workers. Being part of YWiB SFU as a co-VP for the SOUL mentorship program, Jennifer has been able to build up a supportive professional network. It has provided her with the confidence to approach individuals and organizations from a variety of sectors such as non-profit, policy and business to raise funds and create a strong foundation for Project SEPIA. We would like to share her story as it is inspiring that Jennifer has compassionately sought after her vision to help low-income female workers in India.

I recently got a chance to return to Bangalore, India, after my original co-op term in 2010, to work on a series of deliberative dialogue projects with low-income female workers in urban areas. The deliberative dialogues use a participatory consultative format to build the capacity of the women, particularly domestic workers, to learn more constructive and powerful ways to approach problems. I was fortunate to find an excellent facilitator in Brinda Adige of Global Concerns India. She is currently working with trafficking and rural domestic workers issues, and has had the kind of experiences that have enabled her to quickly build trust and cohesiveness among the women participating in the program.

I was most amazed to see these women jump right in to the process; they really “got” what we were trying to do. They opened themselves up immediately, talking about some of the most difficult issues in their lives, such as domestic violence and sexual harassment. In these communities, physical abuse is an epidemic, and in some groups, we saw 100% of the women experiencing violence in their lives. I could literally feel the energy in the room change when Brinda began speaking about the format of the dialogues. Once she started going around the room one by one and engaging with each of the women, they would look at her intently, paying attention, and yet they were also relaxed and laughing. It was almost exactly what I had envisioned for these groups.

What really draws me to work with these women is their incredible honesty and authenticity in the face of overwhelmingly difficult circumstances. It makes my world feel bigger to be around them. I think they wonder why I come all the way over from my safe and comfortable country to help them, but really, they expand my world and my life, hopefully as much as I have expanded theirs.

We are currently working on fundraising for the next 12 months of this project. We would like to further develop these programs where the participants can be trained to become facilitators in their own communities. This was my ideal vision for the dialogues process, as empowering the women to become facilitators themselves will build leadership, independent thinking and community problem-solving skills.

This is a guest post by Jennifer Ganapathy and her Project SEPIA blog site can be found at projectsepia.wordpress.com.

SOUL Mentorship Program can benefit Social Science students

Do you love your classes and the knowledge gained from your degree, but feel unsure of how to apply what you’ve learned in the classroom to the real world? Would you like to build up your networking skills and meet more people with successful careers in your field? Would you like to get an insider’s perspective on the industry you’ve chosen?

The SOUL (Supporting Our University Leaders) Mentorship Program offers female students an opportunity to be connected with dynamic, engaging leaders in their communities in order to learn, be inspired, and explore their interests. SOUL is a program unique to Young Women in Business (YWiB) SFU. Started by Kunny Ma and Stephanie Wong in 2009, SOUL began as a mentorship program for aspiring young female students. Through personal recommendations, they were able to find highly esteemed SFU alumni willing to give back to the SFU community, and with the desire to encourage, challenge and support mentees to grow and develop personally and professionally. This program started in the Faculty of Business, and expanded to the School of Communication the following year with co-VPs Helen Xie and Patricia Zhou.

For the 2011-2012 term, co-VPs of Mentor Relations, Jennifer Ganapathy and Kristen Ryan, have strived to reach out to Social Science students so they can reap the benefits that YWiB SFU has to offer. This year, SOUL mentees are from the departments of Political Science, International Studies, Gender Studies, English, Criminology, History, Psychology, World Literature, and Dialogue, Development & Sustainability.  All of these students have been paired with mentors in fields such as government, education, non-profit, international development, and policy institutes.

Meghan Gilgunn, who received her Master of Arts in Social Anthropology and is currently working with the federal government, is a SOUL mentor to a Criminology student. “I wanted to get involved in the SOUL Mentorship Program to demonstrate that a social science degree can be valuable outside of academia. My undergraduate and graduate education in Anthropology has been integral to my success in each of the three different positions I've held with the Federal Government. I want students who are passionate about social science to know that with an openness to possibility and some perseverance, they will be able to apply their learning in meaningful, interesting careers.” Through being paired with SOUL mentors such as Gilgunn, Social Science students will be given an opportunity to learn from an SFU alumni with years of experience in their area of study, learn the steps they need to take to be competitive in their industry, and gain an understanding of the real-world applications of their degrees.

For the following year, YWiB SFU hopes to reach out to even more diverse faculties within SFU such as Engineering, Applied Sciences, Health Sciences and others, as they would like all female students to benefit from the professional workshops, events, and opportunities YWiB SFU has to offer.

Applications will be accepted in September of this year for the YWiB SFU 2012-2013 SOUL Mentorship Program. Please refer back to our website for regular updates.

For more detail on this article, please refer to www.fass.sfu.ca/ywib. Want to find out more information about our SOUL Mentorship Program, please refer to www.ywib.ca/sfu/soul-mentorship.