WEST is excited to continue its Career Possibilities & Speed Networking series with it’s upcoming event focusing on legal career paths. While legal opportunities aren’t the obvious STEM route, there are so many opportunities to grow a very successful legal career with a STEM background. The panelists for this event are prime examples of following a passion for both legal work and the advancing of science and technology in our world.
Topics: Career, Community, Panel, Networking, Upcoming Events, Career Path, Career Development, Career Possibilities, Speed Networking, Advice, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, goals
I have been thinking deeply about how women in STEM can have more seats at the table and not the kiddie table where one goes to do tidying up and office housework. The table where their voices are heard, acknowledged, and acted upon. Working in tech myself, I notice particularly how women of color are under-represented and white men are over-represented. Is this a result of the ways in which women are conditioned since childhood? The subtle messages they receive again and again? Are women being excluded in important conversations and meetings? Are their thoughts discarded or ignored? Are they not being given credit for their contributions? Is a lack of mentorship and sponsorship the problem? Is the motherhood bias compiled in under-represented fields? Do women of color experience this even more than any other intersectionality? In many ways women are made to feel as if they don’t belong and speaking up about it can come at the detriment of one’s job and security. However, this narrative needs to change. If we want more women leaders and more of them at the top, we need to be able to approach these conversations calmly and strategically. We need a framework for having inclusive conversations and with that framework we need to use it as a piece of workplace culture that emanates throughout the rest of the organization.
Topics: Events, Leadership, Women, Career, Communication, Network, Culture, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Professional, Tools, Trust, Conflict Resolution, Challenges, Inclusion, Ally, Allyship, Strong Women, Strong World
Another day headed into work, and you’re stressed about it before you even leave the house. You get to work and find that something just isn’t going your way, and you haven’t even finished your morning coffee yet. You’ve been stressed at work, about work, just thinking about work for weeks now and you know something’s got to give. Finally, it does. Your boss sends an email that just sends you over the edge and you decide you just can’t deal with it right now and take an early lunch. At lunch, you find yourself sitting there thinking, “It’s just me. This job doesn’t seem this stressful to anyone else, there must be something wrong with me.”
Topics: Events, Leadership, Women, Career, Communication, Resilience, Network, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Professional, Tools, Empowerment, Strong Women, Strong World, Overwhelm
Mary Cheyne recounts sitting in a corporate meeting with approximately 25 other people, after a major issue with a project they had been working on. Every person around her had spoken up and provided their input, except her. She managed to leave the meeting without having shared any of her ideas, no matter how brilliant they may have been, because she was afraid of the judgment of everyone else in the room. Feeling ashamed, disappointed in herself, and unable to get out of her own way, she recognized something had to change.
Topics: Events, Leadership, Women, Career, Communication, Network, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Professional, Confidence, Empowerment, Competence, Public Speaking, Strong Women, Strong World
No, we're not kidding. While we at WEST certainly take pride in our ability to evolve with the times and seemingly constant fluctuations in climate and covid alike, we're also not above a bit of regression. That is to say, resuming a form of normalcy that moves to bring our community closer together once again.
Topics: Success, Women in STEM, Membership, Upcoming Events, Discussion, Support, Empowerment, Marketing, Inclusion
This year’s National Women’s Month theme is “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope." According to the National Women’s History Alliance, as written on History.com, this theme is "both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history."
Topics: STEM, Resilience, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Support, #WESTorg, Broadway, Healing and Hope, International Women's Day, Women's History Month, Healthcare
March 1st marks the beginning of Women's History Month and what better way to celebrate the month than to attend a WEST Broadway event. Don’t be left off stage.
It is not too late to join the first event on March 10th with award-winning Arena Theater artistic director: Molly Smith, and actors Nikki Renée Daniels who recently played Angelica Schuyler on Broadway’s Hamilton and Pearl Sun of Broadway’s Come From Away, If/Then. This will be an exciting interactive event that you don’t want to miss. Tickets won’t last long.
Topics: Science, Upcoming Events, #WESTorg, STEAM, The Arts, Broadway
On March 7th, March 10th, and April 7th, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. ET, WEST is hosting a three-part series to celebrate Women’s History Month, Broadway, and women in science. The exciting series will include three unique interactive, entertaining experiences focusing on the Art of Women in Science and on Broadway.
The mastermind behind this series is NYC-based director, choreographer, actor, musical theater coach, adjunct professor, and owner of Broadway Kids Auditions - Kurt Domoney. In the series, participants will watch Broadway stars perform, hear compelling keynote speakers, and see the portrayal of women in STEM and the arts. The best part Kurt says is how women in science and STEM will see many parallels and similarities between the hard sciences and the performing arts and he is excited to uncover the dialogue and cross-collaboration that will ensue. In an interview with Kurt, he explained to me how the way a science lab is run and the process scientists go through is similar to the production, tech, and process the theater undergoes to prepare and complete a production. He went on to talk about how the arts can inspire innovation and creativity in science and how participants will not only be entertained but will be fully immersed and engaged in the experience of the events.
Topics: Science, Upcoming Events, #WESTorg, STEAM, The Arts, Broadway
“Third or nothing! Third or nothing!” This is the motto of students in the Puffs, a parody play of the Harry Potter series, told from the perspective of some spectacularly untalented student wizards. The Puffs are one of four houses (the other three are the Brave, Smart, and Snake houses) vying for points in the annual house competition at a certain Magical Academy. Every year, the Puffs place last in the house cup competition, but this year, they are determined to place “Third or nothing!”
Topics: Work Life Balance, Annual Theme, Upcoming Events, Change, Learn, Self-Reflection, #WESTorg, Grow, goals, Strategies
I had the opportunity to sit down with certified coach, Kim Meninger in an incredible conversation about women in the workplace, allyship, diversity, equity, inclusion, and the upcoming WEST event that Kim is leading next month. In only a few short minutes it was clear that Kim had plenty of experience in the field with allyship.
Topics: Upcoming Events, Learn, Bias, Inclusion, Diversity, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Equity, Female Representation STEM, Ally, Allyship, Strategies