As a school year kicks off at Westford Academy, so do a multitude of new clubs. One that has caught the eye of many girls in the school community is Women in Business. Founded by juniors Anna Jain, Shaivi Shah, and Shreya Goyal, Women in Business hopes to educate girls on the many different opportunities the business field has to offer, and empower them to enter the male-dominated environment.
The idea for this new club was inspired by Jain’s father who works in the finance industry, as Jain had expressed an interest in entering the business world. Jain then went to DECA companions Goyal and Shah for help to put the club into motion. Jain is the president, and Shah and Goyal are both co-vice presidents.
After some thought, the girls came to the conclusion that business teacher Gina Mustoe would be the perfect fit to be their advisor due to her passion for teaching business classes and her availability.
The Women in Business Cub’s desired impact on their members is centered around fostering empowerment, confidence, and education.
“I want to empower women who want go into business, to feel confident that they can do it [and] not feel scared by a male-dominated field,” Jain said.
Mustoe believes in the importance of young girls pursuing business-related ventures in and outside of the classroom.
“I hope that, especially for the younger kids, [the club] empowers them to continue taking business classes, to continue to do things outside of Westford Academy that bring them to their goals entrepreneurially, and motivates them to do something that they didn’t ordinarily think they were capable of, just by the empowerment and collaboration between all the people in the [club],” Mustoe said.
Women in Business met for the very first time on Thursday, Sept. 12.
“The first meeting we think was really successful,” Shah said. “We wanted at least 10 people and we definitely got that. We got a little over 20 [people] which is just the perfect turnout.”
Not only did their turnout exceed expectations, but the energy of the group made the meeting even more exciting.
“I think the girls that came to the meeting were really enthusiastic and they definitely wanted to pursue the club for the right reasons. I felt like [the atmosphere] was really good,” Shah said.
The club’s officers already have many exciting plans for future meetings despite just gaining momentum.
“We have planned a couple guest speakers to come in and talk with our club members [and] explain their industry and how they got there,” Goyal said.
Alongside the guidance and education that the club hopes to provide, club members will also have opportunities to kick-start their future careers in business.
“Club members can network with these business professionals and gain some networking skills. Additionally we’re hoping to arrange tours of business schools such as UMass Lowell,” Goyal said.
In addition to helping current high schoolers with their business goals, Women in Business also hopes to extend their influence to the middle schools as it is unlikely that girls of that age will be exposed to such concepts until they begin their high school careers.
“Personally speaking, I didn’t know I was interested in business until [my] sophomore year,” Shah said.
Women can often find themselves at a disadvantage in such a male-dominated field, and Women in Business hopes to give their club members more of an upper hand.
“[The] bottom line is, when you’re an entrepreneur, everything needs to get done. It truly doesn’t matter what your gender is,” Mustoe said. “Even though we’re saying ‘Women in Business’ as the title, it’s not necessarily only about the gender. It’s about looking at all aspects of it and customizing the club to meet the needs of what the girls bring to the table, and what they want to learn more about.”
