IN CELEBRATION OF AMERICAN BUSINESS WOMEN’S DAY, CT-BASED GWI ANNOUNCES SURPASSING 15,000 YOUNG WOMEN TRAINED; FALL PROGRAM OPEN FOR REGISTRATION
PRESS RELEASE
September 21, 2023
Greenwich CT – Girls With Impact (GWI), the nation’s leading online business education program for young women and girls – today announced that it has trained 15,000 students since its inception – 2,000 in Connecticut – as part of its mission to level the playing field for women in business.
“American Business Women’s Day is a time to recognize the incredible contributions of women in business to our economy, but there’s more work to be done to level the playing field,” said CEO Jennifer Openshaw. “That’s why we’ll be expanding our programming to reach 50,000 by 2026.
“We’ve seen amazing success stories from our efforts in Connecticut,” she continued. “It’s clear that investing in these young women early is smart for Connecticut and smart for America. But we need to do more.”
GWI has worked with school districts and community organizations – including Hartford Public School, YWCA of New Britain and Hartford, Danbury Public Schools, UCONN, and the Greenwich Junior League – to bring its tuition-free mini-MBA program to young women 14-24. The 10-week program, delivered during the school day or after-school as a powerful extra-curricular and work readiness program, drives improvements in confidence, professional skills and more.
Kellie Taylor, now 22 and living in Bridgeport where she works as a development analyst for Avangrid’s Park City Wind project, decided it was “time to invest in myself,” when she enrolled into GWI’s Business & Leadership Academy 5 tears ago. The program helped set her apart, securing her college tuition and first job, she says.
“GWI helped me standout and get my first job,” said Kellie. “And when I served an internship, I felt much more prepared, more able to focus on the job. GWI made a huge difference; I’m more able to talk to top leaders in my job today.”
Shian Earlington, 22 from Hartford, recently completed the GWI program and is now working with her cousin and current GWI student Ahyma Andrea (22, Bloomfield) to launch Vendii, an innovative personal care distribution venture that caters to the Black community.
“GWI gave me the steps and business foundation to bring our idea to life,” said Earlington.
Jody Bell, from Greenwich, said that at 15, “I used to sit in the back of the room.” She created In Case of Deportation – the subject of a Tedx Talk -- through the GWI program, and later leveraged it, securing a college scholarship and placement in the honors business program at the College of Charleston. Jody has just started a job at BlackRock.
“WBDC is thrilled to be celebrating American Business Women’s Day with GWI,” said Fran Pastore, CEO of the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC). “Our organizations share a passion for supporting women in their quest to realize their dreams. It is critical that we have organizations providing that support to women at every age to build confidence and foster an entrepreneurial spirit.”
In Connecticut, women-owned businesses have grown 56% in the last decade and contribute $16 billion to the state’s gross state product (CT’s DECD). GWI’s own study highlights the untapped potential in our young people: Though college women comprised just 17% of college venture competition participants at UConn over five years -- over half (52%) of the teams that took home prize money (1st, 2nd and 3rd placed teams) had a female co-founder (GWI)
GWI expressed its gratitude to its supporters including Fairfield County’s Community Foundation and Houlihan Lawrence – which provided its initial funding in 2018 -- and these leading organizations: American Savings Bank, Apollo, Bevan-Daddino Foundation, BiC, Bridgewater, Carter, Morse & Goodrich, Cigna, Connecticut Community Foundation, Deloitte Eversource, First County Bank, Frontier, JP Morgan Chase, Luke and Meadow Foundation, M&T Bank, Petit Family Foundation, Purdue Pharma, Rockefeller Capital Management, Strategic Value Partners, TD Bank, The Windover Foundation, Torrington Savings Bank, Town of Greenwich, UCONN, United Rentals, Wells Fargo, and XPO Logistics.
“Women have certainly made progress in achieving executive positions, taking on board roles, and securing venture backing, but we’ve still just scratched the surface,” said Openshaw. “Women represent a $28 Trillion global economic opportunity – and that’s just one reason we need to invest in them early and better prepare them for the workplace. It’s smart for Connecticut and it’s smart for America.”
Registration is open-year round for the Business Academy. Visit www.girlswithimpact.org to learn more.
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About Girls With Impact
Headquartered in CT, Girls With Impact (GWI), a 501c3, is the nation’s only online business and leadership program for young women 14-24. Its mission is to level the playing field for women in business though education, mentoring and networking. To date, GWI has served over 15,000 with its tuition-free education. Featured in the New York Times for its impact and innovative approaches, its 10-week “mini-MBA” moves women from ideation to a business plan and venture pitch, driving improvements in confidence, leadership, college readiness and professional skills for success. Visit www.girlswithimpact.org. Watch our sizzle reel.