Time to Lean In: Woodbury University's BPWOW and Phi Sigma Sigma Host #DoItLikeABossEvent

April 25, 2016 - PRLog -- LOS ANGELES (April 25, 2016) - In the so-called gig economy, everyone can be his or her own boss, but being a solo practitioner doesn't provide a glide path up the organizational ladder.  At Woodbury University (http://www.woodbury.edu/), that's where BPWOW, the Business and Professional Women of Woodbury, comes in.

BPWOW, the on-campus affiliate of the national organization Business and Professional Women, promotes women's equity in the workplace while providing actionable information on how to be a successful #GirlBoss. Toward that end, BPWOW recently teamed with the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority to co-sponsor #DoItLikeABoss, anevent addressing the process of becoming your own boss, in part by tapping various student services and campus organizations.

"Our mission is to achieve equity for all women in the workplace through advocacy, education, and information," said BPWOW president Mariana Gaviria, BBA-Management and event specialist at the Center Theater Group, in downtown Los Angeles.  "We seek to empower women, help develop our members into successful women, build and maintain relationships with each other while networking with corporate professionals, and increase personal development.  My goal is to produce events that will empower and enrich the members' professional, academic, and personal lives."

BPWOW got its start on the Woodbury campus in 2008. At the time, Dr. Alexandra Saba -- now Assistant Professor of Management and Organizational Behavior and advisor to the group - served as cofounder on the Woodbury campus.  "I observed that the female members of the CEO, the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, needed some mentoring, and I recalled that when I was a university student, I needed mentoring as well," Dr. Saba said.

Among BPWOW's recent activities and initiatives:

o   Elevator Pitch Competition. Students have 60 seconds to pitch an idea, a product, a company, an event - or themselves -- to a panel of judges, while competing to win cash prizes.

o   Dress for Success.  Visiting business/fashion professionals provide valuable information and feedback on how to dress for the office, interviews, etc.  Members stage what amounts to a mini fashion show.

o   Senior Etiquette Dinner.  A hands-on educational opportunity to learn business dining etiquette, the dinner helps students successfully navigate lunch interviews, business dinners and other formal events.  Instruction is led by BPWOW Advisor Dr. Alexandra Saba, a certified etiquette and protocol coach, and hosted by the membership.

o   Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.  BPWOW dedicatesthe month of October to raising funds, creating awareness and supporting survivors, especially those who are close to our organization.

o   Meet and Greet.  Mixer with other campus organizations, aimed at networking with peers.

BPWOW is open to female students of all majors.  The organization recently strengthened its social media presence and is actively supported by the School of Business Student Advisory Board.

About Woodbury University

Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. With campuses in Burbank/Los Angeles and San Diego, the university offers bachelor's degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and College of Transdisciplinarity, along with a Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Media for Social Justice, Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Interior Architecture (MIA), Master of Science in Architecture (MSArch), Master of Leadership, and Master of Arts in Media for Social Justice. The San Diego campus offers Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees, as well as an MSArch degree with a concentration in Real Estate Development and Landscape + Urbanism.  Woodbury ranks 15th among the nation's "25 Colleges That Add the Most Value," according to Money Magazine and is a 2014-2015 College of Distinction.  Visit woodbury.edu (http://www.woodbury.edu/) for more information.

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Ken Greenberg

Edge Communications, Inc.

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