The Women in Business Association is a new club at Boise State focused on connecting women from the College of Business and Economics (COBE) in a casual and fun way, according to Danielle Doerflin, a senior finance and business administration major and one of the club’s three founders.
“We started the association in January 2020 becaused we wanted more options for women in the business school to connect and have an association geared toward women in business, much like other colleges around the country have,” Doerflin said.
The association’s mission is to create a community where women can network, connect and build relationships that empower them in business and life.
“We hope to encourage women in COBE and inspire them by providing events with local businesswomen and provide opportunities for networking,” Doerflin said.
Though the association’s work has changed due to the pandemic, such as switching to virtual events over Zoom instead of hosting them on campus at the COBE building, they still want to be a resource for women to discover new opportunities in business.
For Kennedy Sandau, a senior international business major who was a founding member along with Doerflin, the Women in Business Association is a place where women can discover what they can do after they graduate and meet other women business owners.
“We want to continue the club and get girls involved, even with COVID making things different,” Sandau said.
The association holds monthly meetings over Zoom, along with all of their future events for the time being, according to Sandau. She hopes that women are inspired to build their own businesses and connect with other women in the Treasure Valley.
“We’re looking for underclassmen to join since most of our existing members are seniors. We want to get girls involved and keep the association alive and growing,” Sandau said.
Julia Trompke, a senior marketing major and another co-founder of the Women in Business Association, wanted to create a culture of women who could come together and collaborate in an environment that is mostly male dominated.
“We want to empower women who want to come together, though anyone is welcome to join,” Trompke said. “We are all-inclusive.”
Despite the pandemic making networking more difficult, as Zoom calls are not as personable according to Trompke, the association still aims to create a welcoming environment where women can feel safe.
“We want to give students a chance to contribute something to the community and to make them feel like they have a purpose,” Trompke said. “We’re all in this together.”
The association is focused on the greater good of the community, and wants to create an environment of openness and collaboration.
To join, a student does not have to be a woman or a business major, but someone who wants to join a community, according to Trompke.
The Women In Business Association is hosting a panel on Oct. 15 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with guest speakers Maggie and Caitie Sfingi from the women-owned Boise business, Merakite. Participants are encouraged to submit questions for the panel ahead of time and can register on the association’s Engage website.
