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Over the last several months, the Women’s Student Association has worked diligently in conjunction with the W50 administration to curate a special set of alumni perspectives that are awe–inspiring and insightful. These perspectives give more life to this year’s Success Redefined theme and were revealed during the week of the 2013 WSA Conference. 

We would like to thank the following members of the WSA Alumni them for their efforts on this amazing project!

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My alarm went off at 6am, forcing me to immediately question the thought process that led me to sign-up for the 7:30am registration shift. After a grueling week and a Friday spent stuffing WSA conference bags (paper cuts and body aches included), my body begged me to press snooze. As I usually do, I fought the urge to sleep in just a few more minutes and prepared for the day’s activities.

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In this final sneak peak to the W50 Project, we are excited to share Shirley Cardona’s answer to our question: “Why do you do what you do?”

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Introducing: Shirley Cardona, MBA 2012

“To make every day just a little bit better… and the smallest details make the biggest difference”

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In this second sneak peak to the W50 Project, we are excited bring you Joanna Barsh’s answer to our question: “Why do you do what you do?”

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Introducing: Joanna Barsh, MBA 1981

“Women leaders do remarkable things”

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As the Women’s Student Association’s annual conference approaches, we are excited to give you a sneak peek into a very special feature. Over the last several months, the Women’s Student Association team has worked diligently in conjunction with the W50 Portrait Project to curate a special set of alumni perspectives that are awe–inspiring and insightful. These perspectives give more life to this year’s Success Redefined theme.

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… is to make one.

Between job offers (or job applications), workshops, social activities and cases, there are multiple decisions and consequently, trade-offs, to make every day. In business schools around the nation, the emotion that arises out of these decisions often comes to one thing: Fear. Fear of Missing Out (“FOMO”). 

On average, you make several decisions a day. From what to eat to what to wear to what to say in class, you choose one option over another. How often do you look back and feel regret? Often times, you don’t even think about the historically forgone option. Think about this the next time you spend hours agonizing over which events to attend or whether to treat yourself with a well-deserved nap. The process of analyzing the consequences of every decision wastes more time and energy than the actual event or act itself. Sometimes, there is no “best” option. In the few daily cases that there is a “best” decision, you won’t know that you missed it because you weren’t there.

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Recently, the issue of women in the battle zone has become an issue on the front pages of our newspapers. A few business news sources have even provided some interesting insights as to how women in Corporate America should also put themselves in the work trenches, taking on roles that directly are on the front line of the company’s business in revenue-driving positions. The rationale behind this position is that it difficult for anyone to move to, be promoted to, or recognized for a leadership position if he or she has not directly working in a core revenue generating function of the business. Women tend to dominate the support, administration and ancillary functions of businesses or areas better known as the “three Ps:” personnel, public relations, purchasing. 

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You think you were anxious about starting school in August? Imagine being in the first class that allowed women into HBS. That was 50 years ago this year.

Harvard Business School is a different place today. And beyond being present, we’re thriving. Today we lead clubs, score touchdowns during flag football, earn Baker Scholarships, and our dance floor moves are, and will always be, better than our male counterparts.

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A few weeks ago, I had the remarkable privilege to attend the 2012 Dynamic Women in Business Conference, hosted by the Women’s Student Association at Harvard Business School. 

The energy of the conference was vivacious: some 1400 women leaders and MBA students attended, representing a diverse group of backgrounds, career interests, work experiences, and passions. Conference topics ranged from industry focuses on healthcare or sports, to professional discussions on boardroom perspectives and e-commerce, to personal topics covering starting over/transitioning and global careers. There was no shortage of spirited chatter among attendees during panels, or during breaks gathering over coffee. 

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The WSA Board wanted to take this time to thank the women in this organization for a very special year. We have felt very lucky to get to know and be inspired by the women of HBS and we are proud to be part of this incredible community. Over the past year, we have worked to build a community that supports and binds all professional women and we are hopeful that each of you found something in the club that spoke to you. Thank you for this opportunity and we look forward to continuing to build this wonderful network over the rest of our lives. Below please find a little bit of what we have all accomplished in 2011-2012.