As students around the globe navigate a new normal amid quarantines and sheltering in place, Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business’ Women in Business members are staying connected with a unique array of virtual gatherings aimed at fostering a sense of continuity and community, while staying safely apart. Joining the college’s student movement of “Scheller-ing in Place”, the virtual gatherings provide members opportunities to connect, communicate, and share their experiences during trying times.
A student-led organization, Women in Business supports and empowers Scheller MBAs to become successful business leaders through social activities, professional development events, and career-networking opportunities.
"The Women in Business club is dedicated to building a strong, supported community of women and allies,” first year Full-time MBA student and Women in Business president, Amanda Grupp, said. “When we realized our spring programming couldn't occur in person, we saw an opportunity to provide value and create togetherness as we all ‘Scheller’ in place.”
One of the virtual gatherings the club has organized is a weekly “article chat”. Each Monday an article is posted in the club’s slack channel and then on Wednesday, the club gathers online to virtually discuss the article’s topic(s). Club members can suggest interesting or uplifting articles for the next weekly discussion. The first virtual gathering that they hosted was a catchup session with the club members after spring break.
“It was a fun virtual gathering where more than 15 people came together to talk about how we're managing quarantine, how we are feeling during this challenging time, general life updates and we even had a cello concert by Vinson Hu! There was a lot of laughter on the call and it was nice to have a chance to connect with people after coming back from spring break,” Grupp said.
The organization is also planning a virtual webinar with Kitti Murray, cofounder of Refugee Coffee Company. Members will join in from around the nation as Murray shares her inspiration and experience in starting a non-profit business.
Women in Business is determined to keep the new virtual programming on track to parallel the activities previously planned for this spring. “We're trying new types of events and virtualizing regular events so we can provide routine and normalcy for our members. Even though we cannot spend time together in the same space, it's so important to have human interaction and hear each other's thoughts and voices,” Grupp said.
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