In an effort to help undergraduate women advance in traditionally male-dominated fields, WE SPEAK BU (Women Empowered Support, Protect, Educate, Advocate and Know at Binghamton University) hosted its annual “Shattering the Glass Ceiling” networking luncheon on Wednesday afternoon.
The luncheon, held in the Mandela Room in the University Union, was specifically geared toward networking female students at Binghamton University with professional women in multiple fields.
According to Lara Levine, treasurer of WE SPEAK BU and a senior majoring in accounting, the event was meant to create an opportunity for students to meet women working in male-dominated fields like finance and engineering.
“We wanted to create a place where girls can have the chance to talk to other women personally in the fields they’re interested in and provide insight on the obstacles they had to overcome,” Levine said.
Ana Mateo, the secretary intern and activities coordinator of WE SPEAK BU and a junior majoring in anthropology, said there aren’t enough networking events at the University, especially those specifically for women.
“There aren’t a lot of networking luncheons on campus and there definitely isn’t one just for females,” Mateo said. “Getting to know other women in the same field as you and listening to how they got through everything is extremely comforting.”
Unlike regular career fairs, where hundreds of students, both male and female, try to get 30 seconds of a professional’s time, the luncheon utilizes a unique arrangement designed to create an intimate atmosphere. Several tables were scattered around the room, each labeled with different fields such as medicine, finance, engineering and politics. Each table had several attendees and an assortment of mentors, who were made up of both BU alumni and volunteers. Both parties were able to share past experiences and ask specific, goal-oriented questions amid a generous assortment of fish, pasta, vegetables and beans.
Victoria Tagarelli, ‘13, now an information assurance engineer for Lockheed Martin, said engineering is a very underrepresented field for women.
“Engineering needs to become more diverse and inclusive,” Tagarelli said. “Women very well have the capabilities to take part in the field and excel. I’m really excited to be here and provide insight and advice on the necessary steps I took to get to where I am.”
Rebecca Mancusi, one of Tagarelli’s mentees and a junior majoring in biomedical engineering, said she felt really encouraged after speaking with her mentor.
“I felt really motivated and inspired after speaking to [Tagarelli],” Mancusi said. “Being able to talk to a woman in this field and spring a similar past is very rare.”
Many mentors at the event, such as Shamsher Dhillon, an internist for United Health Services and staff physician at BU, also said they enjoyed having the opportunity to talk to the younger generation of upcoming professionals in their respective fields and to be able to offer them guidance.
“I honestly haven’t been in touch with any students in the pre-medical field, so I really loved chatting with them and helping them find potential internship opportunities,” Dhillon said.
Maria Grisales, a freshman majoring in accounting, said she was glad to hear about other women’s experiences.
“I’m really happy I heard about this event,” Grisales said. “Listening to these particular women’s experiences really helps me prepare for what’s to come.”
Rachel Maiman, a junior double-majoring in political science and English, said she spoke about her passion for law and Binghamton anti-sex trafficking legislation with mentor Donna Lupardo, member of the New York State Assembly representing the 123rd Assembly District.
“It’s becoming more and more challenging for women to run for elective office,” Lupardo said. “I really want to change this stigma. By talking to younger women, I can make it less intimidating for them and help foster their political pursuits.”