I attended the Western New York Women’s Foundation Leadership Summit held at the University at Buffalo North Campus on Friday, September 22nd. The event created a space for women to learn, network, and apply their skills as more women move into leadership positions. From recent graduates to seasoned professionals, the event was open to women in any stage of their leadership journey. At the end, a networking event was held for women to network with over 60 influential women in the Buffalo community. 

I met the president of the Oishei Foundation, the former director of University at Buffalo Athletics, and the president of Broadleaf Results during the networking event. All of them were experienced professionals who shared their wisdom with me from their past or current leadership positions. I gained more informational interview skills from this experience and found it intriguing to learn how women landed in the roles they are in today. One new networking tip I would like to share is to be willing to listen first and speak second. People feel appreciated when others listen to what they have to say. Another networking tip is to ask questions that make the conversation engaging for both parties.

There was also a video where their photographer was taking a headshot of me that day that I wanted to include here, but the file size exceeded the upload limit on WordPress. It can be viewed on the D2L Discussions page for Fall2023_MRG_COM/DMA/JRN: Internships.