Silicon Valley Comes to the Heights – Lean In Edition

Today’s Travel Agenda

A car ride from my home in Long Valley, New Jersey to the Morristown train station.
A train ride from Morristown into New York Penn Station.
A cab ride from Penn Station to the MegaBus stop at 34th and 11th.
A bus ride from New York City to Boston, Massachusetts.
A subway T ride from South Station to Reservoir stop.
A bus ride from Reservoir to the Boston College Campus.

I utilized 6 different modes of transportation over the course of 10 hours, in order to be present for tonight’s on-campus event, Silicon Valley Comes to the Heights, which will take place in the Fulton Honors Library. I can’t really complain, as I know the lengthy process of getting here will be worth the effort! Tonight, there will be an hour of alumni/student networking at 6:30 PM, followed by the panel discussion at 7:30 PM.

After attending this event last year and getting to hear from Boston College alumni and co-founders of companies, WePay’s Bill Clerico, thredUP’s James Reinhart, Highland Capital’s Peter Bell, and Sequoia Capital’s Pat Grady, I can guarantee that the evening is going to be rewarding for all in attendance. Moderated by Professor Elizabeth Bagnani, this panel will feature four all-star alumni “blazing trails in business and tech.”

Tonight’s Schedule (Courtesy of Professor John Gallaugher)

If you are reading the schedule above carefully and not merely impressed with the high-power industry players who are represented (Google, WePay, LocalOn.com, and Astia Angel Network), you will notice that ALL of the speakers on tonight’s panel are WOMEN. I was fortunate to meet with Amy Gips, a Founding Partner at Astia Angel Network, this past spring as a part of my Tech Trek field study. It was at a morning networking event that Professor Gallaugher, after witnessing the empowering effect Amy had on myself and the other students, both male and female, first mentioned the idea of having an all-female business/tech alumni panel for our students. It is fantastic to see his vision come to fruition with tonight’s event.

The four panelists featured tonight are the aforementioned Amy Gips, Shabano Imran, Sophie Monroe, and Sophie Miller. They cover a wide range of fields, including marketing, operations, and venture capital investments. Working with small businesses, Google Glass, and payment platforms, they have taken the Boston College motto “Ever to Excel” to heart in their chosen fields. I greatly look forward to meeting with them tonight to learn about the path each took to get to the current position of founder, director, or manager.

I am proud to say I go to Boston College because I am learning how exactly to be, above all, a woman for others. Yet, it is also evident to me that our school is creating strong, passionate, and creative women who are also not afraid to lean in, as Sheryl Sandberg has written, to their careers. Leaning in basically means you are asserting your desire to be a leader in your workplace. In my personal opinion, a huge part of leaning in is building a supportive community encouraging your female peers to do the same.

{Side Note: Everyone should read Lean In. It is a solid foundation of female empowerment built on research from academic sources, coupled with real insights into the both the challenges and opportunities working women face.}

I encourage any student who is interested in the business and technology fields to attend the panel tonight and learn from the insights the panelists will offer. I am making a special request of my female friends in CSOM, BC Women in Business, the Council for Women of Boston College Student Advisory Board, and more to be present at this event tonight, in order to begin the process of leaning into your own careers by witnessing examples of those who already have done so to great success.

Stylishly Yours,

Erin ★

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