At Temple University’s Fox School of Business, students are prepared with the education and experience needed to successfully enter the professional business world.
Beyond this, though, one student group works tirelessly to guarantee that women can thrive and become the next leaders within any competitive business industry.
Meet Women in Business.
A Student Professional Organization (SPO) at the Fox School, Women in Business serves to provide opportunities and support to women across all business majors who look to grow personally and professionally. Through encouraging professional development, education and collaboration, the student group works to position their members to succeed in fields that are statistically male dominated.
Originally known as “Women in Finance,” the group was rebranded to “Women in Business” in 2023 to expand its membership base to various majors. Today, the group is led by co-presidents Raina Balagot and Dinusha DeSilva.
“In general, Women in Business offers community and empowerment for women that are interested in entering the business world as a career,” Balagot, class of 2025, says.
“The business world can be intimidating sometimes, particularly in specific fields that do not have a lot of female representation. It is important to us that we provide a community that empowers and uplifts our members and reminds them that they are more than capable of pursuing a career in business and maximizing that career.”
With membership among the group represented at all undergraduate levels, the group meets every week while in semester. In addition to their meetings, the group accomplishes its educational initiatives through hosting events for membership such as teaching days, resume workshops and various social retreats.
Another pillar of the group’s efforts includes welcoming female industry leaders to address the group multiple times each semester.
“While the tangible goals we have as an organization are to teach women how to efficiently navigate within a corporate setting, an impactful way that our membership learns about that setting is through the professionals we host for speaking engagements,” DeSilva, class of 2025, says.
“We believe hosting high-ranking, female business professionals to speak about their experiences creates a positive environment to ask questions and learn. It offers our members a fresh perspective they might not be able to receive in a traditional classroom setting.”
“We believe our goals to empower, educate and motivate the next generation of women business leaders is immensely critical, and positively represents the Fox School in general.”
This past fall, guest speakers included Marianna Goldenberg, the founder and chief executive officer of Curo Wealth Management, and Mia Nixon, founder of AI for Girls Enterprise,as well as senior professionals from Comcast.
As the group prepares for a promising semester ahead, the spring includes the two largest events that it annually hosts: the “Inve$t in Her Future” panel on March 12 and a fashion show on March 21. The show is a collaborative event with Temple University Fashion and Business SPO and Beauty Birds, a Temple University community service organization that empowers individuals in Philadelphia through cosmetics, care and human connection.
The SPO’s efforts across the school, and campus, do not go overlooked.
“I am so proud to oversee the fantastic work that is being accomplished by Women in Business,” says Amy Lavin, faculty advisor of the group and management information systems associate professor of practice and deputy chair.
“The dedication of the student leadership and general membership is something that the entire Temple community can be inspired by. Through their passion to women’s empowerment and professional representation, they are truly making a positive impact for the future of business industries and generations to come.”
Guided by its student leadership, the group remains committed to their mission of positively influencing the future of the business industry.
“We believe our goals to empower, educate and motivate the next generation of women business leaders is immensely critical, and positively represents the Fox School in general,” Balagot says.
“We know it can be difficult for women to find their place and voice within the landscape of today’s business industries—if we can make a difference in those aspects, we can truly impact the future for the better.”
To learn more about Women in Business, visit their Instagram account page: @temple_womeninbusiness