MEGAN PIERCE

Founder

DEVANSHI MEHTA

Founder

JOHANNA OLESEN

Founder

In the Fall of 2016, Megan Pierce, Devanshi Mehta, and Johanna Olesen started Bruin Women in Business at UCLA. All three of them saw a severe lack of resources for women on campus interested in pursuing a career in business.

Because UCLA lacks a formal business major, on-campus clubs and organizations are the only way for students to get resources that enable them to be ready for internships and jobs. However, a majority of the on-campus clubs are competitive, have a cutthroat application process, and focus on a specific career track, like consulting or investment banking. Many business organizations are also very male-dominated and leave a lot of hard-working women out of the running.

Megan, Devanshi, and Johanna recognized this problem and wanted to create a supportive community for women to explore the multitude of career options available after graduation. They decided to form five different committees within BWIB so their fellow Bruins could find what vertical within the broad umbrella of business best fit their interests. This also allowed young girls to learn from their peers who already had experience in those specific fields. The Career Development committee was specifically designed to mentor girls who don’t know what specific industry they want to pursue.

Since its founding, BWIB has blossomed into something more than the founders could have ever hoped. It’s a way to meet inspiring and interesting women who will champion your successes and support members through stressful recruitment processes, school life, discovering the right career path, job losses or rejections, and more. BWIB also fosters growth through general workshops focused on professional development, projects to provide a deeper understanding of different industries, and networking events with top firms. It also gives members a safe place without a competitive nature to learn from others who want to help them. BWIB has created a community in which members can reach out to alumni as they navigate the business world. It still holds true to its original values of being open to anyone and everyone.