Margins Magazine - Volume 4 Issue 4

VOL. IV | ISSUE IV
MARGINS
How WIBA’s RadioHer
is Breaking the
Glass Ceiling
by Alexa DiFrancesco
UTSC’s Women in Business Association (WIBA) is a club that aims to empower, encourage,
and engage women pursuing business-related ventures. Last year, the organization
launched its own podcast, RadioHer, in which women in UTSC’s Management program
share their experiences and tips to succeed in the classroom and workplace. Margins
Magazine recently sat down with Freni Jivani, an executive member of WIBA, to discuss
all topics related to digital media, networking, and breaking the glass ceiling.
MARGINS: How did you get involved with
the Women in Business Association at
UTSC?
“I used to follow the Women in Business
Association on Instagram. Last summer,
during COVID-19, I was looking for ways to
get involved, and one of my friends – who’s
also the president of the club – she posted on
her story about applications and I thought
it looked interesting. Even though I’m not a
Business student or a student in the Management
Economics program, I’ve always wished
to pursue innovation or entrepreneurship. I
thought that this would be a great opportunity
to get involved. Additionally, this club is
small and super tight.”
MARGINS: How was RadioHER created?
“When we were discussing possible events
of the year, we thought that we would do a
students panel. This would feature students
from different programs to talk about their
journey at UTSC. A lot of management students
are taking co-op courses as well, so
we’d ask about their co-op positions and
what they’re planning to do after graduation,
as well as some skills that they found helpful
when seeking a job. We were worried about
the idea because we didn’t know whether
people would attend due to, you know, time
difference; UTSC students are all around the
world. We were concerned about how to make
a student panel interactive; when someone’s
sitting in front of a screen and listening to the
speakers for like one to two hours, it can be
quite hard to pay attention.
Keeping all these factors in mind, we’re
always also taking inspiration from [other]
established Women in Business associations
and universities. We came across a podcast
that empowered women in business. They
would have an episode every week that would
feature an industry professional, and that
professional would speak about her experience
about leading an empire. After finding
it, we thought that a podcast would be [a]
perfect way to share student experiences.
But it’s also convenient for listeners, because
they can listen to it on their own time; when
66
Visual Credits: Valentina Conde
67