For many students, stepping into the business world can feel overwhelming—  especially for students navigating career fairs, networking events and internships without built-in connections to guide them.

DePaul Women in Business is a student-run organization working to change that. Its new mentorship program, EmpowHER, is designed to help students find support, leadership and career guidance.

Shay Finn, president of DePaul Women in Business, hosted the kickoff event for EmpowHER earlier this month at the DePaul Center on the Loop campus.

“This is about lifting each other up no matter what,” Shay Finn, president of DePaul Women in Business, told a room filled with club members sipping raspberry iced tea and eating pastries at the kickoff event for EmpowHER earlier this month at the DePaul Center on the Loop campus.

EmpowHER matches experienced members with newer ones, offering guidance on career development, personal growth and navigating life at DePaul. The goal is to ensure every member — whether they are a first-generation college student, an international student or someone looking to carve their own path — has the support they need to succeed.

DePaul Women in Business started as a small community and has expanded from 40 members to over 150 in just a few years. With that growth, leaders saw an opportunity to offer mentorship from within the group. Fifty-three mentor-mentee pairs have formed since the program’s launch in the fall.

“I know I didn’t expect that to happen, and in the long run, it’s only going to get better .… The club has already connected so many of us,” said Maliakah Shaikh, the club’s recruitment and alumni engagement chair. Mentorship, she added, was the “next step.”

For club leaders like Mandy Quach, the diversity, equity and inclusion chair and a junior studying human resources management, mentorship is something she wished she had when she first started at DePaul.

“Something that’s really valuable for me as a mentor is being able to show my mentee what the ropes are, what people look for and all the things I wasn’t told that I wish I was,” Quach said.

Finn said she initially felt lost at DePaul as a first-generation college student. She was nervous about attending her first club meeting. But after a member she met at a fraternity event encouraged her to attend a club event, everything changed.

“My first quarter I didn’t really go, but then second quarter I got more involved and loved it. It’s all about what you make of it,” Finn said.

Success isn’t just about having opportunities — for many, it’s about having the right people to help you pursue them.For Demi Adebayo, a freshman marketing major, joining DePaul Women in Business and the EmpowHER program helped her find a sense of community in the business school.

“I felt disconnected living in Lincoln Park and not being around business students as much,” Adebayo said. “This program is helping me get more involved.”

Rebecca Fairbanks, a freshman studying marketing, said she enjoys having someone to text, whether it’s for classes, resume help or even help finding good coffee.

“Business is so broad, and sometimes you don’t know where to start,” Shaikh said, adding that EmpowHER helps “those members who are nervous to break out of their shell by giving them a mentor who shares their academic journey.”

The program also aims to bridge the gap for students who may need more guidance. That includes first-generation college students, a demographic with whom many of the club’s leaders — including Finn, Shaikh and Quach — personally identify.

DePaul Women in Business also continues to expand its reach with upcoming events, including the 4th Annual Case Competition on March 1, where business students work in teams to solve a case study. Finn expects over 100 guests to attend the competition, which includes an afternoon of professional development activities designed by the club’s corporate sponsors.

The club also had a flower sale fundraiser before Valentine’s Day in the Lincoln Park Campus Student Center to support the club’s future initiatives.

Club leaders welcome anyone interested in joining the club or the EmpowHER program and encourage students to reach out, even if they don’t have a clear path yet.

“You never know where something is going to lead you,” Finn said. “Even if you don’t think you’re the ‘business type,’ we welcome everyone.”

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