The Women in Finance club formed this semester to provide an inclusive environment for female undergraduate students interested in finance.

Sophomore Ashley Lessen established the club. She said that because finance is a very competitive field, by creating the club she hopes female students will be able to meet and support others pursuing the same career. For her, the most important aspect of the club is its accessibility and openness to all female finance students.

“I wanted to create an environment that would be inclusive,” Lessen said. “Business is all about networking these days. So, I feel like the more people you know and the more connections you’ll make, the better off you’ll be in just getting information and keeping up to date.”

Vice president sophomore Anastasia Kadiyala explained that Lessen formed the club in order to create a space specifically for women involved in finance.

“Ashley Lessen started the club because she felt like there was a need for the club, as all of the other top undergraduate business schools have similar clubs,” Kadiyala wrote in a comment to Student Life. “We wanted the club to be separate from the other women-focused business clubs and wanted there to be a clear focus on finance.”

Junior finance major Angelica Harris said she joined Women in Finance last week.

“Finance is still a male-dominated industry; so, I believe it is important to form friendships with other women in the field [in order] to support one another,” Harris wrote in statement to Student Life. “I hope that we can share our experiences and offer feedback to improve each other’s skills.”

According to Kadiyala, it is important that women in finance have a separate support network because finance is such a male-dominated field.

“Finance is one of the most male-dominated fields in business,” Kadiyala said. “It is important to have a Women in Finance club to show women who are interested in finance that they are not alone, and [the club will provide] a support network that can help them fulfill their goals.”

The club plans to use their Facebook group of 60 members to promote various opportunities and advantages to their members. The club also wants to host speaker series, professional development workshops and weekly coffee chats on new developments in the finance world.

Because they are still in their initial planning stages, Lessen says there is a lot of room for suggestions.

“I’m open to any ideas people have,” Lessen said. “Any idea is a good idea since we’re a new club and we’re still in the process of forming it.”