When I first started graduate school at Stony Brook University, I immediately looked for clubs, societies and organizations to join. I came from a small undergraduate university and was excited to see what a large university like Stony Brook had to offer. Needless to say, I was impressed.
First, I did a search on the SBU website and found a master list for both undergraduates and graduate students. Many of the organizations had social media pages, which I then followed. Once you follow one club or organization you like, you end up with recommendations and eventually you get a trail. I used Instagram to find all the organizations I am now a part of and will talk about a few below. I was able to find non-female oriented organizations of course, but here I would like to highlight a few of the organizations I found in support of us ladies! I encourage my SBU ladies to poke around both the SBU Clubs and Organizations website and social media pages to check out the many options Stony Brook has to offer.
Being an individual in the sciences, I always look for organizations which are science-related first. For those of you in STEM, I found the undergraduate Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) (@sbu_wise) organization that unfortunately, I could not join as a graduate student. From the WiSE Instagram account, I discovered that there is a Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWiSE) (@sbugwise) organization. Both organizations set out to “enhance the scientific, professional and personal development of women pursuing STEM degrees at Stony Brook University and provide a space for dialogue on issues unique to women in science”. As a female in science, I was ecstatic to find these organizations! These organizations have created such a unique society for a field that needs to break down so many cultural barriers against women. GWiSE also has their own newsletter, which I publish to in addition to Her Campus. Both organizations are nationally recognized and connect women across campuses from all over the United States. Check to see if your university has either of these organizations and if not, get one started!
A non-STEM related organization I found is the Leading Women of Tomorrow (LWT) (@lwt.stonybrook). They are “dedicated to encouraging women to pursue leadership, careers in politics, government and public service”. The LWT organization is geared toward all students looking to join an organization that connects them to other empowering ladies on campus. LWT also partners up with other organizations on campus such as the one below, I AM THAT GIRL, to host events and guest speakers. You can even join as a graduate student!
In addition to LWT, I found the I AM THAT GIRL (IATG) Stony Brook chapter (@iatg_stonybrook) because of their many partnerships on campus. IATG is an inclusive chapter on campus that focuses on supporting women of all backgrounds and with any career goal. They host meetings that are both informative and inspirational. For example, their most recent meeting was about intersectionality within female-owned businesses. IATG also works on social injustice notions by hosting both activities and discussions. Their social media is full of encouraging content that is also supportive of breaking down barriers for women in our culture, overall. IATG is also another organization that graduate students can join.
And of course, last but not least, I found the beloved Her Campus (@hcstonybrook) organization! I am sure my readers know all about Her Campus and how amazing they are. For those of you who may be new, Her Campus is another female-supportive national organization. Stony Brook is lucky enough to have a Gold Level Chapter of Her Campus Media as well! Her Campus is all about supporting each other mentally and physically. Our chapter hosts cute spa nights and fun bonding activities. On their social media platforms, they post loving quotes and memes for bits of encouragement and hopefully provide a much-needed reminder of self love. Check out Stony Brook’s Her Campus page and the other members’ articles as well! Graduate students are also welcomed to join Her Campus.
SBU has many other female organizations I have not mentioned here, which include organizations for women in computer science, business and even biomedical engineering. SBU offers a large variety of female-empowering organizations, creating an incredibly supportive culture of ladies. I am honored to be taking part in these organizations and hope you take advantage of them as well!