The WSA, or Women’s Student Association, is a student club at Harvard Business School for anyone who identifies as a woman (along with male allies). We are proud to be the premier student-led organization for women in business, with a mission to connect, empower, and celebrate the next generation of women leaders. To do this effectively, the WSA offers a series of signature initiatives that keep current WSA members and alumni engaged for life. This engagement while at HBS and afterwards ensures WSA members build a tight-knit community of women that can support one another throughout their entire careers.
WSA Annual Conference
For the past 34 years, the WSA has hosted the Women in Business Conference. Conference highlights include renowned keynote speakers, engaging panel sessions, and a pitch competition for entrepreneurs. This year’s conference, “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges,” was our largest in-person conference since COVID, and featured keynote speakers including Niki Leondakis (the CEO of CorePower Yoga), Julia Cheek (the Founder and CEO of Everly Health), Jenn Hyman (the Founder and CEO of Rent the Runway), and Amy Weaver (the CFO of Salesforce). The conference also hosted six panel sessions covering topics such as “The Invisible Load on Women” and “Fertility: What’s New in FemTech.” Our third annual pitch competition featured five finalists who pitched to venture investors Ascendo Ventures, Kaya Venures, Vestigo Ventures, and Visible Ventures. The top three finalists were awarded a total of $10.5K in funding for their startups.
WSA Finals Review Session
At the end of both the fall and spring semester, the WSA hosts Finals Review Sessions for the RC (first-year) students. WSA Finals Review Sessions are a long-standing tradition dating back to 1963, the first year HBS admitted women to the MBA Program (only 1% of MBA students were women in 1963, increasing to 36% in 2007, and now 45% for the Class of 2026). Each semester, a group of women are nominated by their sectionmates to lead a review session for each RC course during finals period. Women are nominated by their sectionmates for their outstanding contributions in the classroom for that specific course. The Finals Review Sessions provide significant visibility and recognition to these outstanding women and the WSA, while also providing a service to their fellow classmates in ensuring they are prepared for the final exams.
WSA Annual Retreat
In the fall of 2024, we brought the WSA community closer than ever with our second annual WSA retreat. We spent a weekend in Cape Cod bringing together WSA members across HBS sections and RC and EC classes to foster long-lasting friendships and community. During the retreat we stayed at a resort with a private beach and engaged in a scavenger hunt, outdoor hike, late night bonfire talks, and morning yoga. WSA members walked away from the retreat with new connections within the HBS community along with memories that have made a positive impact on their HBS experience.
After HBS
As WSA members graduate and become a part of the expansive HBS alumni network, they have opportunities to continue engaging with the HBS WSA Alumni community as a mentor through the WSA Mentorship Program, as a member of the alumnae board, or as an attendee at WSA admitted student events during the summer.
HBS WSA alumni who participate in the Mentorship Program have the opportunity to be paired with a current student. In past parings, mentees have expressed that the mentorship was extremely helpful when it came to personal and professional development guidance and giving practical advice, encouragement, and support. For both current students and alumni, it is a great way to expand and leverage your network with the amazing women alumni in the HBS community.
Whether you are a current student or an HBS alumni, there is a plethora of opportunities to engage with the women of HBS, now and in the future.
Learn more about the HBS Women's Student Association here.
The article first appeared on the MBA Voices blog.