Foster @ Microsoft Event Advances Women On and Off the Field
“Mighty Are the Women,” a Foster @ Microsoft event, featured speakers including Nicole Van Dyke and Jeana Jorgensen
Nearly 50 UW Foster School of Business students gathered on Microsoft’s corporate campus on Tuesday to attend “Mighty Are the Women,” a Foster @ Microsoft event featuring speakers Nicole Van Dyke — Women’s Soccer Coach — University of Washington Athletics (gohuskies.com), UW’s women’s head soccer coach, and Jeana Jorgensen (MBA 2001), Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Learning at Microsoft. Foster Professor Christina Fong served as moderator.
In a far-reaching discussion covering everything from navigating careers to handling adversity, Van Dyke and Jorgensen provided advice and shared personal anecdotes with students, including members of UW’s women’s soccer team.
The panelists emphasized several key themes, including accountability to oneself and others, setting healthy boundaries, and the importance of being in the moment.
“It takes each one of us showing up in a way that says, ‘We own this space. This is my space,” said Jorgensen in explaining what ‘Mighty are the Women’ means to her. “Working in technology, there were many times when I was the only woman in the building. When I show up, I don’t show up as a woman. I show up as a competent person who has resilience and tenacity.”
Van Dyke recounted gathering her team after a difficult loss on the road, in which they gave up a goal in the last minute. “We made a choice that night that we were going to look inward, and we weren’t going to cast blame … but we want to be held accountable. And we ended up using the energy that was in the room to play the next game with more strength than we had ever had.”
Van Dyke and Jorgensen serve in very different capacities, but both attribute their success to some of the same qualities, including curiosity, tenacity, and focus, both personally and professionally. Van Dyke shared an anecdote of reading to her son and initially finding herself distracted by all that she had to do. So she paused and refocused her thoughts. “I made a conscious choice to be in the moment, and it ended up being the best part of my day.”
Jorgensen said the same principle applies in the workplace. “It is about being present. If you are showing up and multitasking or thinking about something else, you are doing a disservice to the people around you, and a bigger disservice to yourself.”
While much of the advice the panelists shared was universal, they also highlighted areas of specific importance for women navigating their careers. Van Dyke encouraged female students to “control the narrative,” noting that she receives applications for coaching positions from men who are underqualified, but that women can sometimes feel the need to “check every box.”
Following the panel, students had the opportunity to meet and ask questions of senior Microsoft female employees in multiple roles at the company, including marketing, program and project management, engineering, business development, and human resources.
“We are in a room that is full of female potential and female power,” said Fong.
Among the leaders offering advice to students was Foster alumni Julie Spiers (BA 2000), who now serves as General Manager of Microsoft’s global media sales operations.
“I am interested in helping develop the next generation of women in leadership roles,” said Spiers. “I feel a strong affiliation with Foster, and always jump at the opportunity to meet current students.”
Kolo Suliafu and Jadyn Holden, both players on the UW soccer team, said they found the event empowering and inspiring. “I loved what (Jorgensen) said about not having to be a man, but having to be better than a man,” said Suliafu. “We are here to make sure our voice is heard.”
Learn more about future Foster programs here.
