Party music echoed against the walls. The smell of sweet baked goods traveled through the air, enticing students and faculty in the Vertical Campus lobby. Numerous girls danced to the rhythm in red shirts for a Resilient, Independent, Strong, and Empowered event, also known as R.I.S.E. This year, the members of WIB dedicated their Thursday afternoon to raise money for Girl Rising and raised $918 for the charity.
Girl Rising is a charity that strives to empower, enhance, and strengthen young girls through the means of education. To collect funds for the charity, WIB’s R.I.S.E took place on the second floor of the Vertical Campus building and was open for business from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. Anything a sweet-toothed person desired was there, selling in the name of Girl Rising. Among the homemade delicacies were cookies, flan, cupcakes, fudge, freshly popped popcorn, brownies, and even churros!
Members of WIB set up tables in the lobby, artfully arranged the baked goods, popped and bagged the popcorn, handled the inflow of cash, and walked the building with decorated signs and select goods to bring awareness of the event. Students gathered around the baked goods tables to support the cause by indulging in sweets and treats. Slogans like “Abs are great, but have you tried churros?” and “Stack a plate for one dollar!” were used to attract crowds for all the sugar their study-addled minds desired.
We asked students new to Baruch how they felt about the event. “I thought it was going to be a little more formal. We were backing such a great cause, supporting education for girls. Then the music kicked in and I was like Whoa! This is going to be fun! Not just a dull little arrangement of tables that people overlook. I loved how enthusiastic the girls were to be there, helping out. They were genuinely happy to be there, dancing to some tunes, and spreading the word about our cause,” said Adah Morales, a new transfer student majoring in Marketing Management at Baruch.
Besides for the treats that were up for grabs there was also a scavenger hunt hosted by members or WIB’ fundraising committee. Those who participated were sent around campus looking for different clues and completing tasks based on riddles that all dealt with the main focus of the event— educating young girls.
The cause was of significant and vital importance to WIB. Knowledge is power and education is key to a successful life. It’s no secret to anyone that young girls have their fair share of problems. Whether innate, environmental, cultural, social, or economical, girls have been set up to struggle. They are threatened by society’s derogatory images and the economy’s unfair representation of them. But they should never feel threatened by a lack of education. To make sure of that, Women in Business is around to help, one rising girl at a time.