Women in Business Symposium Lunch

On February 11th, 2011, Owen welcomed over thirty female prospective MBA, MSF and MaCC students to campus. The prospective students and more than fifteen Owen community members and current students enjoyed a beautiful lunch at Fleming’s to kick off the Women in Business Symposium. The half-day symposium is in its fourth year, and transitions into the Discover Weekend event held twice annually at Owen. The event is designed to give prospective students a feel for the Owen community, as well as academic and extracurricular offerings.

Highlights of the lunch included a welcome from Tricia Carswell, Associate Dean of Development and Alumni Relations, followed by an inspirational talk by Maria Renz, Vice President of Amazon Shoes and Endless.com. Maria is a 1996 alumnus of Owen and shared with the group how valuable her MBA has proven to be in her roles. She also regaled the attendees with stories about making the tough decision to leave an established company to go work for a start up that was on less certain ground. She shared her search for balance in the different areas of her life as well as some insights on what it means to strive to "have it all." After a delicious lunch and motivating speech, the group headed back to Owen to hear panels of current students and alums, as well as the Dean of Students, Jon Lehman, and others speak about the MBA program and the Owen experience. (Written by Kristen Schaefer, MBA Class of 2011)