Women in Business Conference in Columbus

On Wednesday I was given the opportunity to travel to ONU’s Women in Business Conference in Columbus, Ohio. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, I had never been to a business conference before but I was pleasantly surprised with the entire day. 

The event, hosted by ONU alum Stephanie Saghy and Bank of America, began with a panel of Bank of America employees. All women in higher-up positions, it was inspiring to hear their stories of how they got where they are today. None of them really began their employment journeys picturing themselves in the positions they have today which was validating in a way. I feel like at this point in my life I’m supposed to have everything figured out and I don't but hearing about their journeys made me feel better about where I’m at. Each woman offered a piece of advice with their story as well and one that really stood out to me came from Jamine Kozar, she said,  “Don’t be cool. Be yourself.” She went on to explain how after a meeting she was told by a superior she needed to “calm down” and just “be cool” when in meetings because she was too much. She then posed the question: “But why would you want to work in a place you can’t be yourself?” That really spoke to me because it was something I had never thought about before but ultimately realized is pretty important when it comes to choosing where you want to work every day. 

After the panel discussion, we got to listen to Nina Day speak on mental health and the “On Our Sleeves”Movement. I’m not gonna lie, I was geeking out big time when I finally put two-and-two together and realized she was Ryan Day’s wife! It’s safe to say this was the highlight of my day! Not only was I captivated by her speech because of who she was, I was intrigued by the topic she was discussing. She was incredibly transparent and real when discussing difficult topics and it was refreshing. Mental health issues are something not many people like to discuss, let alone mental health issues in children, but Nina did a great job at explaining why she and Ryan support this foundation. 

The rest of the day was filled with another panel discussion, this time made up of ONU alumni. This panel was interactive, allowing us to move around and have intimate conversations with each of them. I got to have a conversation with 2023 graduate Alyson Hoffman where she helped me plan out some of my next steps when it comes to establishing myself in the business world. She was extremely helpful and I’m so glad I got to talk with her. A piece of advice that stood out to me in this panel was “Be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” I got to ask ONU graduate Kaila Van Fossen more questions about that during a follow-up conversation where she said the best way to achieve this is by putting yourself in uncomfortable situations you never would do in your normal day-to-day life. After the panel, we got to hear from keynote speaker Jamie Timm on leadership and taking a risk on yourself. This was another inspiring speech that really showed me a different perspective on leadership and what it means to be a leader. 

Finally, we ended the day by putting our new networking skills to the test at Brio Tuscan Grille. It was exciting to be able to take some of the new skills and information I had learned and test them out. I got to meet and talk with some amazing people while enjoying some incredible food. All and all this day was a success and something I’m so glad I did!