Wharton Women

This season of gratitude, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt thanks to the incredible community that makes our mission possible. To our dedicated board members, inspiring alumni, supportive sponsors, and passionate members—thank you for being the driving force behind all that we do. At Wharton Women, we are united by a vision to uplift underrepresented gender identities in business and foster a community where everyone feels empowered to lead, thrive, and make a difference. Your support fuels this mission and helps us create opportunities that spark change and inspire the next generation of leaders. As we gather with loved ones this season, we are especially thankful for this community—a space where collaboration, growth, and advocacy come together to make an impact. Wishing everyone warm and joyful holiday season!

This week, we’re thrilled to highlight the incredible work of our Pro-Bono Consulting (PBC) Committee in supporting local women-led businesses. Originally launched to help organizations navigate challenges brought by the pandemic, PBC has became into a key resource for fostering growth and success in Philadelphia’s entrepreneurial community. From exploring new markets to crafting marketing strategies and offering fundraising guidance, PBC’s services are tailored to meet the unique needs of each client. Their mission remains clear: to empower women-led businesses and strengthen connections within our community. Check out this insightful interview with Eliza Shapiro, a Senior Project Leader, as she shares her experiences and vision for PBC’s future through our Walnut Street Journal! Thank you to Maria Del Carmen Herrera Sosa and Anna Moehn for writing and editing the article! Read the full article by the Walnut Street Journal here: https://lnkd.in/g2azAQ77

We hosted an in-person alumnae panel as part of our Industry Insiders series to demystify the world of consulting. Students were honored to hear from inspiring consultants representing McKinsey, BCG, PwC, and EY, who shared their valuable insights on finding confidence in your career, advocating for yourself as a woman, and understanding the importance of workplace culture. Above all, our panelists emphasized the importance of staying genuine and true to yourself when deciding if consulting is the right path for you and finding a firm that aligns with your values and goals. Thank you to Mary Kroening, Grace Ortelere, Ashley S., and Patricia Borges for joining us in this inspiring conversation, and to Suzie Kim for moderating the discussion!

This week, we held a DEI GBM led by our wonderful VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Alina Zaidi and the Evolve Committee! The event was a fun Mean Girls-inspired twist to an important discussion. Members arrived in their favorite pink outfits and participated in a "Burning Bias" presentation followed by a scrapbooking activity. Together, we examined workplace inequities that women face, including the gender pay gap, discussed strategies to navigate tokenism and “onlyness,” and shared actionable tips for addressing microaggressions in professional settings. Thank you to everyone who joined us and to our Evolve Committee for organizing such an impactful event. Here’s to breaking barriers, lifting each other up, and advocating for equity in every space! Evolve Committee: Mansi Patel, Angelina Ferrer, Maria Kate Boldyrev, Ava Mir, Loveleen Sindhar, Jiya Dave, Isabella Duque Arango, Millie Briones-Sausa, Rhea Thapar, Ryanne Mills, Grace Liang, Himakshi Shastri, Anika Sapra, Akhila Guttikonda

This year’s Dressing for Success event brought together 100+ attendees to support The Wardrobe, an organization dedicated to empowering unemployed individuals and students through clothing and professional development. We are proud to announce that we raised a record of $2,310 for the cause! We had the privilege of hearing from our inspiring keynote speaker, Hannah M. Le, Founder and CEO of Re.Statement, an innovative marketplace for upcycled clothing. As a Penn alum, Hannah shared her journey, her passion for sustainability, and the importance of embracing pivots in both life and career. We engaged in a thought-provoking discussion on corporate responsibility in the fashion industry, emphasizing how businesses can lead the charge in creating more sustainable and ethical production models. The evening featured a stunning fashion show in collaboration with The WALK Magazine, spotlighting talented student designers and models, with stunning photography provided by The Walk Mag team. In addition to the fashion and inspiration, the event offered delicious catering, along with an array of goodies and prizes generously donated by our sponsors including Clinique, Laura Mercier Cosmetics, bareMinerals, BUXOM Cosmetics, Good Molecules LLC, poppi, and Painting with a Twist. A special thank you to our incredible VP of Philanthropy, Alejandra S. Lozada-Santana, and dedicated Dressing for Success Committee members: Ahona Rana, Nikita Bhaskar, Shreya Tandon, Rhea Thapar, Adin Helfand, and Isabelle Thym. Thank you to everyone who attended, contributed, and collaborated to make this year's event such a success!

Earlier this month, we partnered with Penn Undergraduate Biotech Society to host an engaging panel discussion featuring accomplished MBA leaders and industry experts in the healthcare sector.? Our panelists Sharon Willis, Laura Johnson, and Aarushi Parashar shared incredible insights into the challenges and opportunities within healthcare, highlighted groundbreaking innovations, and offered advice on navigating diverse career pathways in this dynamic industry. Thank you to our incredible panelists, moderators Anoosha Shukla and Carissa Keng, PUBS, and all attendees for making this event such a success!

At Wharton Women, we're passionate about creating supportive spaces for women to explore finance careers. Recently, we hosted our "Breaking into Finance" panel series, where experienced upperclassmen shared insights on the diverse opportunities within finance. Thank you Giulia Conti Fruet and Aneesa Saha for leading the sessions! From navigating internships to exploring career paths, our panelists provided valuable guidance to help our members feel confident and prepared. We’re excited to continue offering resources that empower women in their finance journeys!

We recently hosted an inspiring Upperclassmen Panel where our juniors and seniors shared valuable insights on thriving as women in business, selecting classes and concentrations, joining clubs, and navigating the recruiting process. Their key pieces of advice: ? ???????????? ???????? ??????????????: Choose paths that excite you and offer meaningful opportunities for growth. ? ???????? ????????: Don't stress—everything falls into place with time and effort. Many of our upperclassmen shared that their paths to finding their passions involved a lot of trial and error. Embrace the process, learn from each experience, and trust that you'll find your way. ? ?????????? ??????: Don't hesitate to connect with upperclassmen, they're here to support and guide you! A heartfelt thank you to our amazing panelists Aarushi Jain, Vanessa Frigon, Vedha Sitlani, and Giulia Conti Fruet for sharing their experiences and wisdom and Amelia Fox for moderating. We hope to see you at our upcoming events!

We had an incredible turnout at our Annual Dinner, Wharton Women’s biggest fall event! Over 150 undergraduate students, corporate sponsors, and inspiring speakers joined us for an unforgettable evening of networking and personal growth. This year’s event featured an inspiring keynote speech by Michelle Peluso, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer & Experience Officer at CVS Health. She shared powerful insights from her leadership journey, emphasizing the importance of being an "and" leader. Michelle encouraged attendees to reject limiting dichotomies and instead be the leaders who embrace several qualities to drive meaningful change. She challenged students to be the change when faced with systems in need of transformation, reminding us that real progress often starts with personal action. The keynote speech was skillfully moderated by Renita Miller, PhD, Wharton’s Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, leading to an engaging and thought-provoking discussion on leadership, career growth, and inclusion. Attendees also had the chance to participate in an exclusive career fair with 20+ corporate sponsors including Capital One, Accenture, Bank of America, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), KKR, making valuable connections with companies committed to empowering the next generation of women in business. The event concluded with a delicious three-course dinner and goodie bags filled with exclusive Wharton Women merchandise. We are incredibly grateful to Michelle Peluso and Renita Miller for their inspiring words and to all of our corporate sponsors for their continued support. A special thank you to Sheraton Hotels & Resorts for hosting the event and the Wharton Women Annual Dinner Committee for their hard work in making this event a success. Of course, we can't forget the women that made this event possible--our very own Annual Dinner Committee: Aarushi Jain, Kareena Nanwani, Emmy Keogh, Cindy Chen, Lahari D., Anita V., Cassandra Kempinski, Anshi Aggarwal, Van Anh Nguyen, and Katie Yuan. Thank you for all of your hard work on this event; it has certainly paid off! We look forward to hosting more events that empower students to connect, learn, and grow as future business leaders and change-makers!

We’re grateful to be spotlighted and excited to continue uplifting women at Penn!