New women's group: Thrive4

Thrive4 hosted their kickoff event on Friday, Jan. 22 in the Phelps Room. The new student group “began out of the need for women to be inspired and encouraged to use their God-given talents in a career after Wheaton,” said founders junior Jacqueline Smith and senior Kelen Caldwell. Thrive4’s five-point mission statement is all about empowering, equipping, encouraging, education and exploring vocation and women in the workplace.
The group chose the name Thrive4 to represent the “hope and dream we have for the women of this club: To thrive for God during our four years here at Wheaton so that we may thrive for him when we enter the workplace.” The inaugural event was a panel discussion featuring female alumni from an array of backgrounds. “Speakers were chosen based on women who had been an inspiration to the board of leaders,” said Smith.
The refreshing choice of speakers ranged from recently graduated alumnus — who now work for the FBI — to older alumni who have come back to teach, bringing their many years of experience with them. Future events include a networking event involving a fashion show.
The purpose of the event would be a way to “model the perfect wardrobe for various events” one might come across during their career, as well as a way to further facilitate relationships between students and alumni. How Thrive4 differs from WIN remains to be discovered, and although “Thrive4 is open to women of all majors and vocational interests,” the lack of diversity in the board and at the inaugural event might cause problems in limiting the demographic of the women it reaches.
For those interested in joining the new student group, you can apply to be a leader or mentee of a small group through filling out the application found here.