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BPW/Triangle develops a powerful network of leaders to advocate, educate and cultivate connections.


"HAPPY ARE THOSE WHO DARE TO DEFEND WHAT THEY LOVE.
"
-- OUID

The views expressed by blog authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of each member within our organization. 

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  • 21 Jan 2015 3:24 PM | Anonymous

    Virginia Allan Young Careerist (YC) - a signature event

    Nominate a Young Careerist, or

    Apply to be a Young Careerist candidate (use passcode BPW@Raleigh to access the form)

    Application due by March 10
     
    The Virginia Allan Young Careerist Program (YC) was founded by Virginia Allan who served as our National President in 1963. She recognized the need to recruit younger members -- and realized their professional, personal and political achievements of young professionals needed to be honored.
    Candidates are reviewed and selected at the local Club level by delivering a prepared 4-minute speech, interviewing with judges, and preparing a biographical statement and application. The selected Young Careerist then competes at the State level.  [  Read more  ]

    To participate in the program, a Young Careerist must:

    • Be between the ages of 21 and 35;
    • Have been employed with at least one year of full-time work experience in their career area;
    • Support the mission of BPW.

    Benefits of winning this award

    The winner of the Young Careerist (YC) competition receives a 1-year paid membership to BPW/Raleigh and BPW/NC. YC's then enjoy the benefits from networking opportunities, opportunities for personal and professional development, opportunities to learn about the issues of concern to workingwomen, educational programs, and visibility. 

    Nominate a Young Careerist, or

    Apply to be a Young Careerist candidate (use passcode BPW@Raleigh to access the form)

    Application due by March 10

    Contact president@bpwraleigh.org for more information.


  • 21 Jan 2015 10:27 AM | Anonymous
    Accepting applications now!
    BPW/Raleigh scholarships are provided to outstanding area students seeking to further their education, advance their careers, or re-enter the workforce. Scholarship recipients will receive a monetary award in the amount of $1,000 (USD) toward their education; applied toward tuition or other defined school expenses and will be paid to the school on the recipient’s behalf. 

    BPW/Raleigh is accepting completed applications for the 2015 application process until April 10, 2015.


    BPW/Raleigh Dr. Lois E. Frazier Scholarship (merit based) | Mary E. Fox Scholarship (financial need and merit based)

    Scholarship applicants are evaluated based on application materials and demonstration of:

    • Completed application (essay, short answers, reference & scholastic record)
    • Leadership
    • Financial need and/or academic achievement
    • Integrity
    • Commitment to giving back (particularly to supporting other women)

    BPW/Raleigh scholarships are not awarded to the same person in two consecutive years. All candidates must submit a completed BPW/Raleigh scholarship application.

    BPW/Raleigh Application Process

    • Candidates can be female or male and must be currently enrolled (full or part-time) at an accredited college, university, or institution of higher education 
    • Current high school students are not eligible to apply 
    • Applicant must reside within the North Carolina counties of Wake, Durham, Orange, or Johnston (but can attend school outside the area) 
    • Applicant should have a career plan after completion of schooling 
    • Applicant must demonstrate a financial need and/or academic achievement 
    • Applicants may be male or female 
    • Applicant must be in good academic standing (2.5 GPA or higher) 
    • Applicant must complete an application form provided by the Raleigh BPW Scholarship Committee 
    • Applicant must submit an official transcript of scholastic record (copy acceptable) 
    • Applicant must complete two of the four essay questions (no more than 150 words each) as stated on the application form 
    • Applicant must submit one (1) reference letter on letterhead paper (where applicable) 

    BPW/Raleigh Scholarship Deadline

    Completed Applications are due to scholarship@bpwraleigh.org by April 10, 2015. The BPW Scholarship Committee will screen all applications. A personal interview may be required. The winner will be notified by phone and presented the award at the BPW/Raleigh dinner meeting to be held April 28, 2015.

    Questions? Contact scholarship@bpwraleigh.org.

    BPW Foundation also awards scholarships. Go here for more info.
  • 12 Jan 2015 12:45 PM | Anonymous

    We are super excited to launch our first Making Connections event on January 15.  If you are signed up, be sure to preview the materials we will be using in the workshop. Although this program is new for our group, the content and instructors are not. BPW/Raleigh members Sonja Neiger and Karen Warner are seasoned professional women who are expert trainers. We are very fortunate to have landed their help AND we are in very good hands! 

    This workshop will be especially beneficial to women in the workplace who want to change careers, get a promotion, learn how to ask for what you want, set goals to achieve success and get the inside track to doing business.  

    If you have not signed up for Making Connections, there is still time.

    REGISTER

    http://www.bpwraleigh.org/event-1828070 

    If you can't make this event, email president@bpwraleigh.org and let us know you are interested and we will get back to you.

     

  • 29 Dec 2014 9:10 PM | Anonymous

    Written by Lauren Pellegrino

    Ah…another year has come and gone. As I reflect on the past year and look toward a new one, I am struck by how depressing new years’ resolutions really are. Frankly, they feel more like punishment for my previous year’s shortcomings rather than positive goals (lose 10 pounds, watch less reality TV, eat more chia seeds, whatever those are). 

    Let’s make a pact that 2015 will be less punitive and more constructive. One way I aim to achieve this is by setting reasonable goals, writing them down, and devising ways to reach them.  If you’re like me, the odds are good that at least one of your goals involves your career (for me, it’s finding a job after I graduate from grad school).  One of the most fruitful, yet seemingly most dreaded, ways to reach career goals is through networking. 

    The first step in networking is to get over your fear of it, revise your understanding of what it is, and relearn how it works.  

    Let’s review what networking is NOT. It is not insincere, it does not require lots of fake smiling and fake compliments, and most importantly, it is not difficult. Rather, networking is an intentional and thoughtful way to generate a list of contacts with whom you share a mutually beneficial relationship.  Networking is about connecting with other professionals for the long-term, not making lifelong friends.  And guess what? That’s perfectly okay. 

    Women tend to think that we are either friends with someone or we have no relationship with them.  This is unfortunate because so much of our personal growth and learning occurs collectively with other women. Furthermore, we get so busy and consumed with playing multiple roles that we tend to view forging new relationships as a low priority goal.  Worse yet, when we find ourselves in need of a network because of a job change or something else, we freeze. “I haven’t talked with Karen in a while. I had better not reach out to her.” Why do we make that choice? What is it about networking that is so terrifying? 

    Ladies, let’s stop the madness and agree that it is okay to connect with other women and leverage those connections as needed. Men do this all the time. Men have no problem calling some guy they met 10 years ago at a conference about a possible job connection.  As long as we are still paid less and disturbingly underrepresented in C-level positions in this country, we must develop, maintain, and leverage connections with one another.  Our careers depend on it.  

    Put this on your 2015 resolutions list: cultivate and nurture a networking list. Starting in January, begin connecting with women in your industry, industries you are interested in, advocacy or interest groups, etc.  As you meet new women, find out if they are on LinkedIn, get their business cards or address, and find a way to connect with each person at least once per year. “Connections” can be as simple as a quick email, social media update, holiday card, or birthday card.  We have to get over the idea that our female relationships are all or nothing.  We can and should develop meaningful, reciprocal networking relationships without the pressures of friendship. Let’s make (and keep) a resolution we can feel good about. 

    If you need a networking resolution jumpstart, join us in January for the first annual “Making Connections” workshop in the private dining area at On the Oval Restaurant on NCSU Centennial Campus. This event is designed to help you develop and execute a networking plan that works for you. The workshop facilitators will provide all attendees with an interactive workbook designed to help you make the most of your connections and ultimately, enhance your networking efforts. 


  • 15 Dec 2014 1:41 PM | Anonymous

    BPW/Raleigh is proud to sponsor Reality Store SM, a curriculum for middle school students. This is our 10th year presenting Reality Store SM at Shepherd Middle School in Durham, NC. It is being held on Friday, February 13, 2015 (approx. 8am-11:30am).

    The program is offered in a game format where students learn the “reality” of a monthly family budget and the value of making appropriate choices in planning for career, family and their education. Students receive a mock checkbook with the monthly income entered for the specific career. Students then visit booths manned by community members at which they pay their monthly bills. At each booth, the students make decisions concerning the standard of living they’ll assume. For example, at the housing booth, students decide if they want to pay for a one-bedroom efficiency apartment or a five-bedroom home.

    Following the Reality Store SM simulation, students discuss the impact of the educational choices they make today on their ability to 1.) enter various occupations and 2.) support various standards of living in their future.

    Can you help?

    Volunteer on February 13, 2015 - If so, here's how it works: 2 volunteers are assigned at each of 10 stations. Volunteers guide students in making choices and helping them to make adjustments to their check register. Prior experience with Reality Store SM is not necessary. It is an easy job and so rewarding. 

    Contact Mary Kim at marykim61@gmail.com for more information or to volunteer. For directions to the school click here: Shepherd Middle School.

    Provide freebies for our student goodie bags - We create bags with memo pads, stickers, t-shirts, etc for each participating student to take home. If you have something to contribute contact Mary Kim at marykim61@gmail.com.

  • 31 Oct 2014 10:29 PM | Anonymous

    It’s all about Connections

    by Sonja Neiger, Director, Women’s Leadership Institute

    Connections - providing opportunities for professional women to develop learning relationships with one other

    We’ve all heard the old adage: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. That may be true, but who you know can also help you know a whole lot more.

    In the not-so-distant past, women were told “Find a mentor to get ahead.” We all know that Mentors, traditionally, are the seasoned sages guiding younger protégés along. Mentors invest time and energy into passing along their wisdom; Protégés soak up every bit of it. The problem with this model is that it assumes only one person in the relationship has something to offer – the Mentor. It also requires a significant investment of the Mentor’s time for the protégé to derive maximum value. Finally, with this model, it’s almost as if we are creating a boundary; once you have “arrived,” you don’t need mentoring any longer; you should switch and assume the mentoring role and are no longer the protégé. What if there’s a different way?  

    The Mentoring Committee of BPW, Raleigh, thinks there is a different way – dare we say, a better way. In 2014/15, we are expanding and re-branding the Mentoring committee to focus on Connections. Instead of mentoring, which carries a heavy connotation, our focus is providing opportunities for professional women to develop learning relationships with one other. We believe that all women in our organization, whether seasoned professionals in industry, ambitious entrepreneurs, dedicated veterans, or new graduates, have knowledge and skills that are useful to share. We also ascribe to lifelong learning – the idea that all of us have something to learn, no matter how experienced we are in our careers.

    Research shows that Connections are especially important to women because we derive more learning through relationships than men do. When a woman receives a bit of advice from a trusted person, she is likely to learn and apply the lesson; conversely, a man is more likely to learn through experiencing a situation. In a real world context, women do better when primed for a learning experience with nuggets of advice, like “When you jump in the pool, move your arms and legs so you don’t drown!” Sure, we have to jump in the pool to learn, but we’re more apt to absorb useful advice from others and put it into action. Men, generally, don’t learn in this way. They say “yea, yea, I got this,” jump into the pool, and figure it out (quickly, before they drown).

    Does this ring true in your experience of how women learn? If so, the implications for your own learning are significant and optimistic. It means that you have a greater capacity to leverage learning from trusted advisors. Collecting and applying wisdom from others not only develops your confidence before you jump into new experiences, but it also helps you avoid the more painful option – trial and error. Learning through relationships also means that you don’t necessarily need to look for people who have more experienced than you are, which can be especially difficult if some of our long-term members; you simply need to find people you trust who have something to offer that you value. Likewise, if you are junior in your career, you have learning to offer others. You don’t need to wait until you accumulate years of credibility to share your valuable insights.

    As we move into 2014/15, think about what is missing that would accelerate your career. Think, too, of what you can give back. In 2014/15, it’s all about Connections – to learn, to contribute, through learning relationships with each other.

    • Need to know what your unique strengths and talents are that you can share with others? Come to our next meeting on November 18.

    • For more about the Connections committee, stay tuned for more blogposts, an on-line toolkit, and an event on January 15.  

  • 20 Oct 2014 11:09 AM | Anonymous
    Nicolette Allen & Jacqueline Brown are our club's Women Joining Forces chairs. These 2 ladies are passionate about helping women veterans and their families. Learn more about them, the Women Joining Forces program and how you can help at our upcoming program on October 28th, Taking a Crack at Cracking the Code - Solutions for Achieving Equity at Work with Susan Land Chief Engineer and Deputy Program Manager for C2BMC Spiral 8.2 Product Development supporting Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Command. This event is co-sponsored with IEEE Women In Engineering for the Eastern NC Section. Click here to learn more about IEEE.


    You can support this WJF initiative by purchasing a wrist band available at our dinner event or attending a fundraiser at California Pizza Kitchen at the Durham (Southpoint) and Raleigh (Triangle Town Center) locations on Monday, November 17th. 20% of your purchase will support the WJF grant. Grab your friends and family and head to one of the 2 California Pizza Kitchen locations for a great night out and a good cause. CPK is not your regular pizza spot, they also serve great Mojitos, gluten-free pizza, vegan selections, light bites, cheesecake and more! Check out their Full Menu.

    Hope to see a few of you on Oct 28th at Brier Creek Country Club for an elegant dinner and inspiring talk, or at California Pizza Kitchen on Nov 17th for some casual conversation and chillaxin!


    Cheers!

    Cyn Macgregor
    2014/15 BPW Raleigh president

  • 10 Oct 2014 9:21 AM | Anonymous

    We are thrilled that Susan (Kathy) Land accepted our invitation to speak at our co-sponsored event with IEEE October 28th. She has more than 25 years of industry experience in the application of software engineering methodologies, the management of information systems, and leadership of software development teams. Ms. Land is currently assigned as the Chief Engineer and Deputy Program Manager for C2BMC Spiral 8.2 Product Development supporting Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Command, Control, Battle Management, & Communications (C2BMC) in Huntsville, AL. 

    REGISTER for event.

    Susan will speak about her experiences as a woman working in the computing and defense industries. She will discuss leadership development as a lifelong journey, the challenges and opportunities for women in industries where they might be a minority group, and the empowerment we should all embrace to affect positive change.

    Susan is featured in a film Pioneers in Skirts produced by BPW members Lea-Ann Berst and directed by her daughter Ashley Maria. Ashley will be at October's event, so be sure to meet her, and ask about her film!, if you plan to attend this not-to-be missed event. 

    This event is co-sponsored by IEEE Women In Engineering for the Eastern NC Section.

  • 02 Sep 2014 11:34 PM | Anonymous

    Recently board members took action by working together to conceive a member survey to understand better the wants and needs of our BPW Raleigh club. Based on the survey results the board voted to update programming for the 2014/15 year. 


    Some of the updates include:

    • Evening AND afternoon programs.
    • Programs that focus on skill building, facilitated networking and signature events.
    • Plated dinner AND buffet with expanded menu to meet dietary needs.
    • Cash bar (wine only) at evening events.
    • Increase of social events to build community.
    • Varied pricing.
    • Varied locations.
    If you have any questions contact president@bpwraleigh.org or reach out to a board or committee member.

    Hope to see you at one of our upcoming events!




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