At the 17th annual career reception of the University Trustees' Council for Penn Women, businesswoman Lolita Jackson defined the achievements of successful women: "We make lemons into lemonade, obstacles into opportunities."
Hosted by investment banking company Goldman Sachs, three female Penn graduates discussed their career paths and how Penn prepared them for the business world yesterday in Huntsman Hall.
"We hope you will come away with food for thought on life after Penn," said moderator Edith Hunt, a 1972 alumna and operating officer at Goldman Sachs.
"I found the women's perspectives very helpful," Wharton senior Ariella Onyeama said. "I especially liked how they succeeded in a male-dominated environment."
Gwyneth Ketterer, a Class of 1986 alumna and senior managing director of investment firm Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., suggested three strategies to help women succeed.
"One, you have to take risks, be adventuresome. Two, self-promotion. Stand up for your ideas and take credit for them. ... Three, judgment. Understand and assess people," Ketterer said.
Jackson, a Class of 1989 Engineering graduate and former vice president of a division of Morgan Stanley, discussed her career path from "faxing" to multiple promotions.
"I put myself in charge of the software division, which grew to be a major part" of Morgan Stanley, Jackson said.
Marketing and finance courses at Penn gave her the background to understand business; her engineering training enabled her to "sell products from a technical standpoint."
Farah Jimenez, executive director of real estate corporation Mt. Airy, USA and a 1996 Law School graduate, said that she developed "leadership skills" by participating in community service groups and "learning to work with administration."
She also praised her sorority experience. "Value your women friends. They are valuable sources of support and development," she said.
Writing as the dance critic for The Daily Pennsylvanian helped Jimenez develop "critical writing skills. Learn to write -- it will help you in your career," she said.
The other three panelists agreed with Jackson when she stressed that women must "find one extracurricular out of work."
"Feed your spirit," Jimenez added.
College junior Tina John said she found the panel "really cool. It [presented] varied backgrounds and experiences and provided a nice overview of the working world."
