The Chicago Women in Business Alumnae Network (or CWIBAN) is a worldwide organization of recent women graduates of Chicago Booth led by a team of alumnae volunteers. Founded in 2002, CWIBAN connects over 4,100 members living in six continents and is one of the most active alumni groups of the School.
Chicago Booth's women alumni are accessible and happy to field questions from female MBA applicants the world over. Last month 's activities included Women’s Week, one of CWIBAN's most popular initiatives, which was held in 30 cities around the world
We caught up with the president of CWIBAN, Zina Markevicius, and Joanne Legler from Chicago Booth's admissions office, to find out more about what the School offers female MBAs before, during and after the MBA.
Zina Markevicius graduated from the Full-Time MBA at Chicago Booth in 2002, with concentrations in marketing and finance. Following her graduation, she worked for a fellow Booth alumna in strategy consulting for non-profits. She is now vice president of Roque & Mark, a family-owned boutique real estate firm specializing in multi-family properties in the Los Angeles area. Zina is president of the Chicago Women in Business Alumnae Network (CWIBAN).
Joanne Legler is Associate Director of Admissions at Booth and has been with Chicago Booth's Admissions Office since 2006. She oversees the Dean's Student Admissions Committee and works on women's initiatives and other areas of diversity. She also manages the Booth Scholars Program.
How did the Chicago Women In Business Alumnae Network start off and what is the inspiration behind Women’s Week?
Zina: It's really a labour of love. We love the School and it takes care of of its students and graduates by giving a fantastic education and alumni network from which we can benefit from. The goal of Women's Week is to allow prospective MBAs have their questions answered in their home towns.
We remember being students and having questions during the MBA application process or even when we were trying to decide if it was the best decision for us at the time.
As alums we want to encourage these questions and to answer them in a relaxed setting. We can give behind-the-scenes answers to questions and draw from our own experiences. We want to do our best to help prospective students decide if Booth is the best place for them.
How did you manage to pull off events in 30 cities, was this difficult to organize?
Joanne: We rely quite a bit on alums to act as agents and ambassadors. They've had positive experiences at Chicago Booth and want to continue being involved and Women's Week is just one part of that.
Zina: The thing about being a Chicago Booth MBA is that the experience doesn't end when you graduate - it actually begins there. Whenever I approach potential hosts for Women's Week I always get people saying, "Thanks for asking me". People can't wait until the next year to do it again! There is so much enthusiasm from Booth alums that its pretty easy to get 30 cities regularly.
Photos from the Women's Week event in Hong Kong!
How vast would you say CWIBAN's global reach is?
Zina: I have to say our strongest location is the virtual network. Its really wonderful to be able to connect with alums wherever they are in the world. Even if it happens that an alum is the only person in that part of the world, the virtual network makes it possible for her to be engaged and remain connected.
To name specific locations, Asia is really popular right now with lots of activity in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai. Chicago Booth has a long history in Tokyo, and also in Latin America, especially Sao Paulo.
The Johannesburg chapter has been hosted for many years. We also have events in Abu Dhabi, and Tel Aviv. We have groups throughout Europe.There's a great history in several cities in Germany, I know Rome is very active and Paris is itching for more opportunities. The US is very active too!
Joanne: As part of the admissions team, I have to say we do encourage students to reach out to Admissions first and not just to the specific women's groups. Many times the concerns they have may be more general and not to do with being women. It's better to hear from prospective students first so that we can make the best connections where we need to.
Wherever in the world a woman may be, often times there's someone close by. Alums are usually very engaging and generous with their time. We get many instances of prospective students writing to say that they met for coffee with an alum or met for after work drinks - some of these are from women who haven't even applied.
Zina, what has kept you so enthusiastic about Chicago Booth ten years on?
The people: all the people I met from when I was applying to being a student to now being an alum. Everyone is bright, down-to-earth and accomplished. I still remember the people in the admissions department being very nice to me when I was applying and the collegial atmoshphere while I was a student.
What are some of the things that make Chicago Booth a great place for women to study?
Zina: The number one factor is the people, who make it such a great atmosphere to learn and to grow. The academic rigour also means that you can build your skillset and your confidence. For women, there are fantastic opportunities to connect with faculty, potential employers, women pursuing entrepreneurial ventures or to join on-going discussion panels .
Our alumnae group is something that is very unique. We're the only business school that has this and it's something we're very proud of because it gives women a strong global network that is easy to join. We recently had an alum in Zurich facing questions about her career as a working mother and we're working together to create a conference call to address this, and a discussion group for working moms in Europe to share their experience and advice.
Joanne: Chicago Booth is a great place for anyone and not just women. Something that really stands out about the school is the flexibility of the curriculum. Each student has the opportunity to chart their own course and really choose where their MBA journey will take them. There is no prescribed path and this is something that's attractive for students because they really enjoy the opportunity to choose.
Plus, the city of Chicago is amazing. Coming to Chicago Booth is a chance to learn how to use the city as a resource and see what a great place it is. We've never met anyone who doesn't love it and students graduating can't wait to come back. I know one of our Italian-Swedish students who is leaving for a finance job in New York is back here doing a mad dash around the city before he starts his permanent job!
Chicago Booth's Women Connect Conference is coming up in September. What can participants can expect?
Joanne: The conference is something new to both of us since it's an initiative that has been put together by the Part-Time programme staff. The plan is to use the resources that are locally available to reach out to women in the area. It will be a day long conference taking place on September 21 featuring alums, panel sessions, and faculty sessions to address the questions of young women who are exploring their future options.
There will be discussions on personal branding, addressing workplace issues, navigating office politics, negotiation sessions and doing your best as an employee. Admissions teams will also be there to answer questions about the different programmes available at Booth.
The keynote speaker is a '92 grad who works for Kraft foods and in the evening there will be a small social in the evening to allow a relaxed atmosphere for networking. Students won't be back in session yet so if anyone wants a campus tour we can arrange that. It should still be outdoor weather and if someone travels to the conference and decides to spend the weekend, there's definitely plenty to do in Chicago!
Do you have any advice for women who are currently considering doing an MBA?
Zina: I would encourage anyone who feels an MBA is the right move for them to go for it. I feel that a lot of women second-guess themselves when it comes to applying. They either delay or don't go for the school that they want the most. An MBA can change your life - the Chicago Booth MBA changed my life. When you finally get to that dream school that you've always hoped for, its alway worth the risk.
If you'd like to learn more about the Chicago Women in Business Alumnae Network click here to visit their website.
Click here to read interviews with Chicago Booth MBAs.
The Chicago Booth Admissions team will hit the road, calling at cities in Africa, North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East over the next few months. If you can't make it to Chicago, click here to RSVP to an event in near you.
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