Read the article FWA alumni gives world advice, about the FWA event published in the Baruch Students Newspaper, The Ticker.

To celebrate seven years of the FWA’s successful mentoring program Baruch, four of the alumnae participated in a lively and informative panel at the Baruch campus in NYC on Thursday, Nov. 20.  The panel entitled “Lessons Learned:  How The FWA Mentoring Program And My Baruch Education Helped Me In The Workplace,” featured the graduates delivering practical business advice to the FWA mentors and their Baruch mentees.
 
Panelists included Irina Gaister, Baruch ’05, Technical Analyst, Goldman Sachs; Alison Gao, Baruch ’06, Accountant, Data Management Group, PWC; Shweta Raiji, Baruch ’06, CPA, Sr. Accountant., Anchin, Block and Anchin; and Julia Rozenfeld, Baruch ’07, Analyst M & A, Rothschild, Inc.  The panel was moderated by Ellen Cahill, Vice President of Cahill Associates and FWA liaison to the mentoring program.

The panelists agreed that their mentoring experiences at Baruch had given each of them confidence and business savvy and helped to smooth the transition from student to business woman.  When possible, each of them has tried to continue this tradition by taking part in mentoring and coaching programs at their firms.

The young women answered questions such as “What one thing did you think was unimportant as an undergraduate that has tremendous impact in business?”  Their answers included office politics and personal communications. Irina mentioned that one must be one’s own advocate in business, making sure to communicate the value of work done and deadlines met.  All agreed that they are the stewards of their careers and must seek out opportunities to showcase their contributions to their organizations.

Part of managing one’s career also includes memberships in organizations such as the FWA.  Presently three of the panelists are members and one is waiting for approval of her application.  They all felt that one must constantly network outside as well as within one’s firm, and organizations such as the FWA offer them an easy way to extend their professional contacts as well as stay current on a vast array of topics.

When asked about timeless issues such as work-life balance and the glass ceiling, they all honestly admitted that one must spend the time to get the job done, no matter what the personal price.  They also emphasized that it is important to know a corporate culture and requirements of certain jobs to prevent taking a position where one’s personal life will clash with business priorities.  They all see themselves as one more individual to put another crack in the ceiling through good work habits, being a good team player and remaining aware of the different personality types in a successful work environment.
 
The success of the panel was evident in the enthusiastic round of mentee questions at the end as well as the exchange of business cards and informative conversations.

FWA mentors help to build a better future by sharing the best of themselves with a promising young woman who aspires to discover the best in herself.  If you are interested in mentoring, contact the Mentoring Co-Chairs: Wendy Leibowitz at wleibowitz@leibowitzmarketing.com or Françoise Jeanpierre at francoise.jeanpierre@gmail.com.

Highlights

Ellen Cahill
Cahill Associates