After placing second in the Impact division, Buchanan says the four-week program enjoyed great success in its first year, and the officers are hopeful that this year will be no different.
The Purple Scarf Society is not the typical extracurricular club with weekly meetings throughout the year – it is a program. Beginning in early October, there will be a series of four weekly meetings in which participants will develop resumes, think about what it means to be a woman in the professional world and consider how best to approach the job market. The program culminates with a networking event designed exclusively for program participants, featuring women from various professional fields.
The peer-to-peer teaching happens in small groups, which are mostly led by students who have already gone through the program. This structure “reinforces what you learned in your FYI class freshman year, and the many questions that you might have developed since then are addressed,” says Kloth.
She adds that this format is also part of what makes the learning process and the idea of professional development less intimidating for participants. Another highlight of the program is a trip to Ann Taylor in Greenville to practice both inter- view and workplace attire.
“[The program was] recommended to me after I came to Jennifer Dillenger (The Space) bemoaning the struggles of writing resumes and applying for an internship,” says Cabe, who now “dream[s] of a career in marketing or advertising.” Cabe and the other officers are thrilled to be sharing what they have learned from the program with more Wofford women.
All the components of the program serve to better prepare the participants for the professional world, whatever the major or long- term plans of the student. Cabe believes “this organization is a fabulous way for women to learn how to most successfully market themselves,” and in her opinion, the most valuable thing the program can offer a Wofford woman is both “confidence and the skills to articulate how valuable she is in her career field.”