September 11, 2018
WIC kicked off the 2018 school year by welcoming 50+ girls (and guys!) to their first Lean-In meeting of the year. Lean-In Circles, an idea coined by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, have been a staple of WIC meetings for about three years now, occurring monthly.
These circles are formed by networks of women across the country with the idea of empowering each other to reach their dreams! They provide a community for women to meet, share thoughts and struggles, grow with each other, and learn from each other.
WIC’s Lean-In kickoff meeting started with an introduction to the club by President Harshita Das, followed by E-Board introductions, and of course, lots of pizza! The meeting then moved into an icebreaker: Lean-In Bingo. This was an activity where attendees got to interact and engage with each other, trying to fill out their bingo sheets with interests and fun facts about others in the room. Switching gears, participants then listened to a TED Talk by Sheryl Sandberg on why there are too few women leaders in the world today. Keeping the video in mind, small group discussions kicked off talking about topics like why sitting at the table is important and how to take advantage of opportunities. These discussions flowed into the last part of the meeting, where all participants decided on an “action item” to take before the next Lean In Circle to encourage personal growth and confidence.
As Lean-In Chair, this meeting was so encouraging from start to finish. The room was packed with students eager to learn and grow, and connect with others in technology. I got to be part of some awesome conversations - from bonding over love of reality TV in the icebreaker to discussing why we, as women, are less likely to raise our hand in class or speak up in the middle of meetings, and how we can change that! I’m so excited to welcome all of our participants back at the next Lean-In meeting and continue these important conversations and connections throughout the rest of the year.
