An Inside View to Women’s Initiative (Part 1)

By: Guest Blogger, Arriel Sherman, Marketing/Events Fellow

I would like to introduce myself to you, the reader. My name is Arriel Sherman and I am a Women’s Initiative Marketing/Events Fellow. I want to give you just a bit of my background and how Women’s Initiative found me.

In 2010, I graduated from California State University, Long Beach. I was bright-eyed and bushy tailed; ready to take on the world. The only problem is that I had absolutely no direction of where to start. The only message that pumped through me was “just graduate from college, no matter what it takes.” But no one really told me to focus on what I liked and how I could incorporate that into the “real world.” So, I decided to work with a university as an advisor. I had the same schedule every day. Wake up, get to work on time, go to my cubicle, then speak with students, clock out, and go home. My 9am to 7pm routine just didn’t mesh with me. So, in December, I quit; just after 6 months of working. Feeling lost and overwhelmed, I returned home to Richmond, CA.

At the beginning of 2011, I was on a quest to try new things. I remember thinking about my graduation day and how I felt so accomplished and how I wanted to become truly successful. I thought that the only way I could do that was by working for myself. I would ensure that my company would run efficiently, my employees would be happy, and most of all, I would be happy. So, I spoke to an advisor, Bridget Anderson from Making Waves Education Program, and she mentioned Women’s Initiative. She said that she met Julie Abrams, at a previous event and it would be great if I signed up. So I did. I signed up for the My Business Action Plan session, the following week. 

The moment I stepped foot in the door at the San Francisco office, I was greeted by lots of women; women who were employees and women who were developing their business ideas. I felt an immediate connection. We were here to share our ideas and grow them into something larger than a notion. We were supportive of each other. Keep in mind, we were all perfect strangers but because we were here, at Women’s Initiative, we smiled and shared, and empowered each other during this hour long session. I think that because we all had the courage to get to this class, share our ideas (many of us, for the first time), and feel supported in our decisions, instead of doubted, we connected as “women with visions.” I can tell you that this is something I have never experienced in a college classroom, ever. After this experience, I knew I was ready to take the next step; I knew that I was ready to begin my journey as an aspiring entrepreneur. In this moment, I was finally ready to feed my entrepreneurial soul.  

Technorati Tags: Education, Entrepreneurship, Women and Support