By Fiona Doomasia
The Preface
I remember the first time I watched Emma Watson’s speech at the United Nations’ HeForShe Campaign launch. I was in grade 11, and up until that day, I believed that feminism was a negative word. A word for wacky women who want to push men away. I, on the other hand, just wanted everyone to be treated equally. But when I watched this speech, I learned the true meaning and dictionary definition of the word: “the belief that all genders should have equal rights and opportunities”. That’s when I realized that I am a feminist. My core beliefs didn’t change, but this speech was a launching pad for my feminist journey.
The epiphany
During my second year of business school, I stumbled upon this Facebook post:
“Build a support network of inclusive women”. My mind immediately jumped to Emma Watson’s speech when she urged us all to fight for equality. Business school can be an intimidating place, and I knew I wasn’t the only female student who sometimes felt uncomfortable to be our boldest selves. What better way to empower myself and others than to join a network of fierce women who want the same thing? Within less than a month, I joined the Women in Management Network as a content manager to promote events, share stories, and give a voice to female students.
My WMN journey
Over the course of the last two-and-a-half years, I helped create a brand for what gender equity looks like in the business world, while meeting dozens of incredible people who are just as passionate about the cause as I am. Eventually, I led WMN’s digital marketing team, and I’ve got to say - we were a powerful, creative group.
While the other pillars were working hard to create unique, impactful events, our team’s job was to make sure everyone knew what WMN is and why they should get involved in these events. What I loved about our team was that we weren’t just focused on event promotion, we wanted to educate as well. From reposting weekly women-in-business news articles, to sharing exciting job posts, we worked to make sure the WMN brand brought value and inspiration to our female business students. I’m proud to say that I think we accomplished this and the future brand of WMN is evolving into something even better!
My time on WMN has now ended, and I felt sad to say goodbye. But I realized that it isn’t WMN that I need forever. I forever need a space where I can be unequivocally me, and others can be unequivocally themselves. WMN taught me that I have that space wherever I go, regardless of my gender, race, or age. I will demand this inclusivity everywhere I go.
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