Grace Vaccaro, Staff Writer
During freshman orientation, Olivia Retcho met all of the economics majors of her year. It was in that meeting that Olivia realized that she was the only girl in the group. She was also informed that out of the forty economics majors, only a quarter were girls. For the remainder of her freshman year, Olivia sought out connections in her classes and students who shared the same experiences as her.
During the club fair, Olivia looked for female empowerment clubs, especially in the business field, and discovered that there were none. For her public speaking class, Olivia researched women in the business industry and how underrepresented they are. The data shocked her. She found that women earn 85% of what men make. She also discovered that only 11% of CEO’s are women. It dawned on her: This problem that seemed small on campus spanned globally into something much larger.
Discovering the lack of resources and support on campus, and wanting to change the future for women in the business industry, Olivia decided to create SUNY Oneonta’s first Women in Business club (WIB for short).
Olivia hopes to inspire and empower women’s professional growth in their fields. The club meetings will host panels and speakers. These guests will be SUNY Oneonta alumni who have made their way in the business field. Sharing their firsthand experiences and insights, they will provide key hope and inspiration for our business students. Whether you are a business student or not, these alumni can provide information on how Oneonta supported them as students attending their first day of classes until graduation. WIB is open to all SUNY Oneonta students who want to build community and learn more about the business industry and what can be done to build female empowerment.
WIB’s Eboard has been working hard all summer to prepare for the school year. They have spent months reaching out to alumni, creating social media platforms, and creating their semester schedule. Being able to finally start their meetings will be a worthwhile reward.
President Olivia Retcho is accompanied by fellow cheer team members and business majors: Candice Strong (Business Management) is Vice President, and Kaylie McCabe (Business Administration, with a concentration in supply chain management) is Treasurer. They two felt that they needed a club to find unity on campus, with business being such a popular major here. All three of them hope to make a profound impact within our school and leave a lasting impression for years to come.
If this is a club that interests you, or if you are looking to make connections on campus or find people who share the same major as you, think about joining this club! They will meet every other Thursday in Alumni Hall from 7-8.
To stay updated with club events, follow their Instagram @wibsunyoneonta. If you have any questions, reach out to Olivia Retcho at @[email protected]. We welcome WIB on our campus and can’t wait to see what they bring!
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