The Undergraduate Women in Business is set to host its inaugural Dare Conference in April, which is designed to inspire and empower students from all majors.
The conference will have speakers, panels and opportunities to network with other students and is entirely free for attendees.
The idea from the Dare Conference originated last December when the City of Starkville approached Natalie Edwards, the president of the UWiB, about collaborating to put on a women in business event. Although the plans fell through, this gave the senior marketing and management major some inspiration.
“In April, I thought, ‘Oh, dang, this was supposed to be the day of the Starkville conference, but it’s not happening,’” Edwards said. “Then I thought to myself, let’s just put one on ourselves.”
After months of planning, Edwards is excited to announce that Lamiaa Daif, who works at Apple as the worldwide growth strategy leader for iPad and Mac, will be the event’s keynote speaker.
The conference is free to attend, so its funding heavily depends on sponsorships, including support from Ignite Digital Marketing and the College of Business alumni program, Club 1915.
UWiB also hosted “Fall Fest” in October to raise funds for the conference. Located in downtown Starkville, the event featured trucker hats for sale, food from various vendors and a performance by the local band Take 12.
Although UWiB was established in 2017, it declined in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Mary Hulbert, a former member and president, revived the organization in 2021, which laid the foundation for its current success.
“We’ve grown since then,” Edwards said. “Our first meeting since we were reestablished had, like, 15 people in it. Now, we almost have 100 paying members.”
Hulbert, an MBA candidate at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, will return as a speaker for the Dare conference.
UWiB is not only comprised of business majors; it includes students from all disciplines, particularly communications, sports administration and STEM fields. Emma Baldwin, an accounting major and the vice president of finance, said that many of the career-building activities attract members from across the campus.
“We focus a lot on resumes, LinkedIn and how to have a professional career in general,” Baldwin said. “We don’t just talk about business.”
In addition to professional workshops, UWiB offers social events for members, such as Pilates classes, bouquet-making and vision board creation. These activities aim to foster a sisterhood among members.
The organization also prioritizes giving back to the community through initiatives such as feminine hygiene drives for the Starkville Period Project, benefit nights and writing cards for hospital and nursing home patients.
Anna Lamanilao, a senior finance major, serves as the vice president of outreach for UWiB. Lamanilao said she recommends UWiB to anyone looking to grow their professional development.
“It’s been such a great organization to meet such strong, like-minded women who genuinely want to further their career, want to be the best that they can be and want to make a difference,” Lamanilao said.
Edwards also reflected on how UWiB has transformed her college experience.
“This organization is unique in which we have both the fun and the practical,” Edwards said. “As a freshman, I knew absolutely nothing. I didn’t know what my resume was supposed to look like, I didn’t know how to talk to people, I didn’t know how to speak in public. I didn’t know anything. So this organization has really grown me in all those ways. I feel like now I have a really decent resume and I could go up in front of a class and give a presentation and know the ins and outs of interviews. I’ve also met so many good friends through all the fun events we do.”
