By Victoria Durgin, Asst Digital Editor
As part of its initiative to increase the amount of positive role models in women’s lives, the Sigmund Weis School of Business hosted an alumni panel and marketing event on Oct. 18.
The Women Succeeding at Work event featured six Susquehanna alumnae and a local finance expert.
The panel included Cassie and Jacklyn Collier, ’09 and ’08, the founders of Bundle; Valerie Bastek ’06, the Director of Product Management and Business Solutions at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts; Kristin Bush ’05, the Content Advertising Manager for Vanguard; Manouchka Paulemont ’16, the Bank Secrecy Act Operations Manager for Fulton Financial Corporation; and Renee Laychur, the Senior Vice President and Managing Portfolio Advisor for First National Bank.
All panel members spoke to students about their experiences as women in the corporate workforce.
According to Emma Fleck, director of the Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship Education, and the moderator of the event, the panel was intended to bring “guidance, confidence, and motivation to students of all genders” and to “support students in networking and making links with successful people in various industries.”
The event began with a networking session in which students could speak with panelists.
The session then began with a discussion about the early years in a woman’s career after graduation. Both Bastek and Bush spoke about their experiences with negotiating salary in their first jobs.
“I didn’t know I was supposed to fight for myself,” Bush explained while talking about how she simply accepted the salary she was offered.
Bastek told the audience she did not think about the pay gap until recently, when she was involved in the hiring process for new employees. She realized the applicants would be hired for a position under hers, but at a higher pay scale than what she earned.
This dialogue led to a point that was restated throughout the event: having a mentor, or several, is crucial for every worker but especially for women.
Laychur spoke about how she has tried to reach out to women just starting in her industry because she thinks mentors are crucial to women being successful.
Another central focus of discussion concerned the image women present of themselves to others around them, especially men who so often make up most of corporate leadership.
“It’s important to be more assertive,” Paulemont advised the students at the event.
The panelists, except for Laychur who did not graduate from Susquehanna, also spent much of the night reminiscing on their time in college. Cassie Collier said Susquehanna was instrumental in her and her sister Jacklyn’s ability to start their business.
Both sisters talked about their experiences at Susquehanna with students during the networking portion of the event. Bastek said she loves and is obsessed with the university.