Darden’s student clubs and organizations are known for their unparalleled engagement in the Darden Community. Clubs organize and host week-long themed events and social opportunities throughout the school year. Here are just a few from earlier this year: Black Business Experience Week, Asia Week, Africa Business Week, Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Week and One Darden Week.
The Graduate Women in Business didn’t let the shift to a virtual world stop them from hosting their much-anticipated annual Gender Equity Week earlier this month. Today’s post and photos are contributed by incoming Vice President of Admissions Madlyn Mgrublian (Class of 2021).
This year’s Gender Equity Week included a panel discussion, a thought-provoking lecture, group fitness classes, “You Inspire Me!” digital postcards, and a daily newsletter filled with the Darden community’s stories about gender. Though it can be challenging to find ways to support a community through a virtual format, the 2019–2020 Graduate Women in Business Board did a fantastic job of keeping us all connected!
I attended two sessions led by rockstar Darden professors. On Tuesday, Elena Loutskina, one of our Finance professors, moderated a panel called “Gender Goes Global,” where four of our international female classmates talked about gender equity in their home countries as compared with the United States. On Wednesday, Marketing professor extraordinaire Lalin Anik gave a great lecture titled “COVID-19: A Gender Lens to the Outbreak,” where she highlighted issues related to gender equity such as the different experiences of women and men during the pandemic, domestic violence, and the blurring together of work and home life. In addition to presenting fascinating programming, GWIB donated $5 to local Charlottesville businesses facing economic hardship for every participant who joined these sessions. A great way to encourage attendance and financially support our community at the same time.
Gender Equity Week was a smashing success, many thanks to the GWIB 2019–2020 Board for making it all happen!
–Madlyn Mgrublian, GWIB VP of Admissions
