Why I joined Women in Business

The past few months I’ve been at SDSU I had a lot of time to not only start my new chapter as an independent college student figuring out the ins and outs of life, but also time to reflect on who I am. Growing up, I was the person to join every club, be on the executive boards, and basically live ten lives at once. I never had a true sense of what I actually enjoyed and wanted to do with my life. As this can be relatable with most of you -- all I knew was to get into college. After that...well, who knows, right? I came to
campus as an international economics major not even knowing what that meant. I struggled to find friends, adapt to a new environment, and handle all my responsibilities. I knew that it was time to step out of my comfort zone and explore the new aspects that college life would bring to me.
Before I get into my journey, let me introduce myself. My name is Gabriela Natale and I am currently a first year marketing major with an honors minor in interdisciplinary studies at San Diego State University. I attended a small charter high school called
Guajome Park Academy in Vista, CA with only around 100 students in my grade. I bounced around many organizations in high school but had a hard time sticking with just one. I wanted to find the perfect club to fit my interests, because I never really thought about how all the extracurriculars I was involved in connected to what I wanted to do with my future.
Fast forward to August of 2021, I decided to attend club rush since my first instinct was to sign up for some student organizations on campus. I came across a cutely decorated table with a banner that stated “Women in Business.” Unknowingly, I wrote my name
down on the sign up sheet just like I did to every other table -- how typical of me. I never thought about becoming a business major. In fact, I never had a stable idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I attended their first meeting, it was the first time I was surrounded by such powerful young women who wanted to be leaders. Aside from explaining the jist of what we would learn for that semester, they described something that I never heard before from a school organization: their values. “Self-care,
intersectionality, scholarship, transparency, empowerment, and resilience.” This was new to me... how could something education-driven care so much about your differences, growth, and future. That was what brought me back for a second time (also because they were in gorgeous suits and I thought they were cool).
The next few meetings absolutely changed my life as my viewpoint completely shifted to another direction. I listened to amazing women in the business world describe their challenges and inspirations, I was taught how to prepare for interviews with resume and Linkedin workshops, but most importantly, I met such a talented and optimistic group of girls who uplift one another. Instantly I knew this was the path for me, and I decided to switch to being a marketing major. After one full semester of being a Women in Business member, I finally found the club I was looking for.

By Gabriela Natale