Riverdale, NY - Manhattan has no shortage of student-athletes who excel not only in competition, but also serve as leaders across our campus.
On this final day of Women's History Month, we take a look back at four female student-athletes picked for the College's WISE (Women Inspiring Successful Enterprise) Program, which was created to help develop female emerging leaders and empower them to advance professionally.
Rowing's
Shannon Forty (Westford, MA / Westford Academy), women's soccer's,
Kelly Hasty (North Haledon, NJ / Paramus Catholic), women's basketball's
Tuuli Menna (Helsinki, Finland / Richmond) and rowing's
Alexa Schmidt (Emerson, NJ / Emerson) each spent eight weeks this past summer pursuing internships throughout the city and participating in weekly enrichment sessions. The summer culminated in a professional women's symposium for the entire campus community, in which WISE participants presented on a variety of topics related to their internships.
Forty had the opportunity to work in pediatric oncology research at New York Medical College for her summer internship. Hasty worked at Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, a non-profit real estate company. Menna did her internship at Balyasny Asset Management, a multi-strategy global hedge fund, and Schmidt interned at Anat Gerstein, a public relations firm that works solely with non-profits.
GoJaspers.com recently asked the group about their experience.
Q: Why did you want to join the WISE Program?
Forty: I had heard about the WISE program through friends who had done the program in the previous year and I knew that I wanted to participate because of what an incredible experience they had. I thought the program was a fantastic way to learn more about social issues related to being a woman in the workplace and to have an experience related to a field in which I was interested.
Hasty: I wanted to join the WISE program because I believed it gave women on campus the opportunity for professional development through the sessions and job placement.
Menna: I knew I wanted to do an internship between my junior and senior year, as I think that is very important in terms of your professional development, and it will eventually help the transition from school to the workplace.
Schmidt: My mom actually brought this program to my attention when I was a rising sophomore, and she encouraged me to apply. I had that in the back of my mind, so when the applications opened up, I thought it was the perfect way for me to spend my summer. It would offer me my first internship experience in a career field that I had a particular interest in, as well as professional development sessions every week. In general, I thought it was an excellent program, especially with women's empowerment at the root of it.
Q: What was the most memorable experience or challenge?
Forty: I worked directly with the pediatric psychologist both in academic research and in promoting programs for the patients in the department. I also had the opportunity to work with oncologists and nurse practitioners and to see the field from both an inpatient setting in the hospital and at the outpatient infusion center. Because it was pediatric oncology, there were definitely challenging times, but I think the most important take-away for me was seeing the psychological aspect of this medical profession. Going forward as someone in the medical field, I will place a higher value on the emotional and psychosocial aspects of a patient's treatment, along with their medical treatment.
Hasty: I worked in the accounting/finance department mainly doing accounts payable. The biggest challenge I think was getting used to their systems, because I had never used them before.
Menna: I was fortunate to work for a large corporation that allowed me to get a lot of exposure to different things, and which had many opportunities and activities to offer outside the office, as well. I think one of the things that really stood out for me, and something I won't easily forget, was the opportunity to go to a Goldman Sachs Conference in their global headquarters for a day. Sitting there in the 44th floor, watching over the Hudson and the streets of Manhattan, while being surrounded by intelligent and driven young people (as a female in the audience dominated by men), and learning and talking to the leaders of one of the world's biggest and most prestigious banks, really made me a lasting impression.
Schmidt: Some of the company's clients include the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, Monumental Women, Project Renewal and WHEDco. A lot of what I did was just helping out where I was needed, whether that be drafting newsletters, press releases, media lists or tracking press clippings. My most memorable experience was towards the end of my time at the firm. The president, Anat herself, invited me to meet one of her clients at City Hall. It was my first time being in that building, and it was fantastic to have a first-hand look at how the government plays a part in nonprofit organization.
Q: How did the weekly enrichment sessions impact your scholastic and professional development?
Forty: Though they tackled many different topics, each of the presentations discussed a very important aspect of being a young woman going into the workplace. We discussed imposter syndrome and the laws regarding Title IX, as well as the importance of work-life balance and the ability to bring your whole self to work. I learned a lot about the importance of advocacy and social justice through Dana Rachlin from the organization NYC Together, as well as advocating for oneself through the presentation on salary negotiation. I believe that through these workshops and speakers, I have become a more educated, competent and confident woman who is more prepared than ever to enter the workplace.
Q: Has the WISE program given you an advantage for pursuing a career after college and how?
Menna: Absolutely, no question! [It introduced us to] experiences you don't learn in a regular classroom environment. You can only learn so much in school, and going out there and having to figure out things by yourself in a foreign environment where you are the youngest and most inexperienced, is the way you get the experience, understanding, and confidence you need as you go forward in your career after college.
Q: What are some lessons from the program that you can apply to your life as a student-athlete?
Schmidt: As a student-athlete, my life is all about time management. I have to balance my two jobs, being a resident assistant, serving as a board member for multiple clubs, and maintaining my dedication to rowing. I also have to build relationships and connections with different people every day, whether they be employers, classmates, potential students or residents. In addition to maintaining these connections, I try my best to foster an inclusive community and problem solve anything that comes my way. By utilizing these time management and people skills, I was able to succeed at my internship.
Q: What are some things about being a student-athlete that you applied to WISE?
Hasty: A lot of the trainings we did were collaborative, so working as a team was no struggle for me. As well as as working with a large group of women—I was no stranger to that because I'm on a team of over 30 women.
