For the first time, Mercer celebrated Women Entrepreneurship Week on October 23. The college hosted a panel comprised of female entrepreneurs including Brittany Johnson, the owner and founder of the cosmetic company Eyes Ink, Chaya Pamula, the President and CEO of the IT company PamTen and SHETEK, Esther Tanz, Founder of ESTIR Inc. Insurance, and Denise Taylor, CEO and Founder of Diverse Style.
During the discussion, the entrepreneurs spoke to attendees about their struggles in the workforce and gave advice about starting and running businesses.
When asked as to why she spoke at the event, Pamula said that “I am really passionate about empowering women and girls, especially with my own story, where I really pushed myself to be where I am today, and I believe that if I can do it, everyone else can too…it’s really important to provide those opportunities…for women and girls.”
One student attendee, Zhanaubrie Spotwood, a health and science major, said, “one thing that stood out to me [during the panel] was the [entrepreneurs promoting] passion.” For example, she continued, “They said [that] if you don’t have passion and you’re just doing it for money, then it’s not gonna get you that far.”
Women Entrepreneurship Week is the creation of Sharon Waters, the Program Manager for the Feliciano Center at Montclair State University. Waters says she created the event in 2014 because “The Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation has a special mission to serve women entrepreneurs. As part of that mission, we decided to have ‘an event’ focused on female founders.”
Waters also notes how when she did an online search for a week-long celebration for women entrepreneurs, she could not find any.
Now in its sixth year, Women Entrepreneurship Week was celebrated from the 21 to the 25 of October by 240 institutions in 32 countries. Waters intends on expanding the event to more schools and people around the world in years to come.
Waters says that Mercer is also the first community college in New Jersey and the third community college in the nation to participate.
Women Entrepreneurship Week was brought to Mercer by President Dr. Jianping Wang and Project Manager Jill Marcus.
Marcus says that Mercer is hoping to celebrate Women Entrepreneurship Week next year and that workshops are organized along with discussion panels for future celebrations.
At Mercer’s event, the discussion was followed by light refreshments and a meet-and-greet in the Communication building. A second event was held at the James Kerney campus on October 24.
Student attendee Spotswood said, “Men can sell themselves to the highest extent, but women sometimes downplay ourselves…we should always be confident in what we do no matter what.”
