Redefining Ambition.

This is one of the chief goals of The Women’s Network, a women-led networking community founded by President Jamie Vinick at Syracuse University in 2017. Vinick was inspired by a moment in her freshman year, where she attended a lecture by a female banking executive and was disappointed that, amongst the many questions the speaker was asked, none highlighted the role of her gender in her path to success. She recounted her desire to ask a question but her hesitation to speak up in the male-dominated room. 

After that moment, Vinick knocked on more than 1,000 freshman dorms, inviting people to the first-ever meeting of The Women’s Network, unknowingly starting a massive movement that would launch a podcast ‘Redefining Ambition,’ establish chapters on over 142 college campuses in North America and host an impressive range of speakers, from Alisyn Camerota, Co-host of CNN Newsroom, to Anna Frances Wood, founder/CEO at Brains over Blonde. 

University chapters of The Women’s Network hold a number of exciting events throughout the year, including speaker meetings, alumni receptions, networking trips, LinkedIn and resume workshops, “Let’s Chat” community discussions, book club meetings and more. Among the campuses that get to take advantage of these events are UC Berkeley, Cornell University, Georgetown University, and now… Villanova University.

The Villanova chapter of The Women’s Network is currently in the process of preparing for its launch on campus this fall, generating interest in and awareness of the club via its official Instagram page, actively seeking applications for Campus Ambassador and Executive Board positions, and encouraging Villanova students to join the national network. 

Among the people working hard to make this launch possible is Vinick herself, who graciously took the time to speak with me in order to share her enthusiasm for The Network and her excitement for its launch on Villanova’s campus.

“There’s a need for high-achieving, ambitious women to feel proud of what they’ve accomplished…to feel celebrated, to feel uplifted and supported…and to support others. There’s very little incentive for women to support other women,” Vinick explained, highlighting that during her time at Syracuse she often found that the women in her major competed only with the other women, not the entire class. “With this kind of behavior, we are never going to change the numbers at the top.”

Vinick is re-shaping this narrative by putting an emphasis on collaboration instead of competition between women. One of the ways The Women’s Network accomplishes this is through its large size and diversity of members.

“We view the fact that we are open to all backgrounds, interests, and majors as a huge strength. There’s value in meeting people, not just within, but also outside your major. There’s also a lot of commonalities we have that are shared. It also adds a layer of non-competitiveness, where you feel like you really can trust people and support people and uplift people,” she explained. “There’s value in building a network that is very expansive at this stage in our lives, and we are helping facilitate these genuine connections with one another in college, which will extend beyond the college years.”

“I’m really proud of the strength of our community and the members who continue to execute the vision….It’s an absolute honor to lead this community. We have the highest achieving, most ambitious women in our network,” she shared.

Lara Janosz, a rising Sophomore at the University of Michigan and an intern at The Women’s Network explained that her favorite part of being a member is “the fact that there is a whole national network of women, who are not just excited about what they are doing but also excited about The Women’s Network and what you are doing.”

“The people I have talked to have been so excited to hear about my passions and interests,” Janosz said. “We are all united by the fact that we want to help each other and see each other succeed. It’s a really inspiring organization to be a part of.”

The official Instagram page and other resources to get involved can be found below:

-Instagram: @thewomensnetwork_villanovau

-Redefining Ambition Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Ul45kT7dF6NDEtdiXvTUI

-Membership Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezL2OKSUGa79IxAKW4U1B8kEXwOBd5hzmQ-cVni0vTfKXcrQ/viewform

-Campus Ambassador/Executive Board Application:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScBKJoffWsWYbWZ9DqKiwfjzwC2tdAtMGqdLMMctMA09tvR9A/viewform