Letter from the President.

Freshman year, my friend Kathy mentioned IC Women in Communications to me. Being both a woman, and someone studying communications, I obviously jumped on board. After my first semester, I applied to be on the IC WIC E-Board because each week WIC offered me a space where I could not only be educated on how to develop professionally, but be empowered and inspired by my peers and those pushing the boundaries of what a woman in a communications role is.

Today that seems like a lifetime ago, but I am still learning and being inspired by those that break the barriers of what a woman is supposed to be. I had the fortune of being the Vice President and Treasurer of WIC for the past 3 semester, before taking on my current role as President. The support I found from past E-Board members was overwhelming. Past President, Katie Baldwin, has not only prepared me to take on this role, but she has been instrumental in my professional and personal development as a strong woman and leader. Thanks to her gudiance, I am confident in both the history of IC WIC, as well as the future and what we will accomplish this semester. In the past, I have helped planned networking trips to NYC where we visited offices such as GMA, Mccann Erickson, Scholastic, and more. I am very adamant about involving IC WIC with New York Women in Communications, and I highly value our trip to the annual NYWICI student Communications Career Conference where we hear from the top leaders in the communications field.

For the past year, I have been trying to implement a Sadies’ Hawkins Dance. I saw this as a perfect opportunity for WIC to get more involved in the community, as well as remind students of the power of choice. This semester I am so excited that IC WIC will finally be putting on the Sadies Hawkins Dance which will benefit The Advocacy Center in Ithaca, New York. I am always focused on WIC’s standard of inclusivity. This semester we are including even more projects, screenings, and skypes that feature adverse groups of women in a variety of communication roles. I have worked hard with our advisor, Professor Christine Guest, on IC WIC’s role of co-hosting Women in Media Month at Ithaca College. Throughout the month of March, we will be conducting a mini-course about the non-traditional roles of women in communications. We will also be having a panel on sexual assault in this industry, as well as a panel about beauty standards for women in non-traditional roles within communications.

I can say for certain that I would not be the woman I am today without my involvement in IC WIC. WIC helped me connect with NYWICI, which is an organization that has truly changed my life. I never would have been the 2017 NYWICI Meredith Corporation Scholar without the guidance of WIC. I wouldn’t understand how to navigate internships and professional settings. I wouldn’t be pursuing a career in digital media, because without WIC’s influence, guidance, and mentorship, I wouldn’t even know that was an option. WIC has been instrumental in fostering my devotion to increasing representation.

In the past two years I have grown into a woman who uses my voice to advocate for others, the same way the women in WIC have done for me. I am so honored to be leading this group and am excited for all that we will accomplish this semester and in the semesters to come.