This July, we would like to highlight Jenny Safransky, a Step Up member who is now serving on the Western board of directors of Step Up. She has been with Step Up since 2018, and in a short amount of time, Jenny has been able to build connections and network with other women.
Through Step Up's events, Jenny met other women while positively impacting the lives of young girls. We spoke with Jenny to find out more about her support of Step Up.
How did Step Up's networking opportunities help you meet other women?
"I recently started my own business connecting diverse women of color influencers and business owners with like-minded brands. I actually met my second client, Ellen Yin, at one of Step Up's events.
At the inaugural Step Up Together, she was a panelist. I reached out to her on LinkedIn because I love seeing other Asian American women on media platforms speaking up, and I found that so inspiring and I reached out to her. We naturally had a connection. She had me jump on her podcast and the rest was history. We decided to work together, so I work with her closely to connect her with like-minded brands. I help her align with relationships that make sense for her, and I think that's also a part of building confidence, which is Step Up's mission.
The relationships that I've created through Step Up have been so valuable to me personally and for my business."
What did you think about Step Up Together considering it was held virtually?
"Given the pandemic in 2020, I think people were eager and had a need to network because you're home alone. You want to connect with other like-minded people and Step Up Together was a natural way for other women to connect with each other, but also do good. You're giving back to the community, but you're also networking at the same time.
The event had so much valuable knowledge that all of the different women were sharing. I felt like it was beneficial to me and also beneficial to the young girls and teens."
What made you want to become a board member?
"I've been involved with Step Up since 2018. I've gone to several events, I've networked and connected with like-minded women throughout the process. In 2020, during the pandemic, I came to one of the virtual events and I met Baaba Holland. Baaba Holland is a board member in Chicago and her and I just naturally connected.
I took the initiative, I said 'Hey, Baaba I know we had a short session together during the event. I didn't really get to know you but would love to get to know more about you and your business and how I can support you.' So, we had an offline chat, connected and now we just have our monthly chats to just check in on each other and through that relationship, she said 'hey, there's an opportunity on the Western Board it sounds like they have an opening.' I said, 'sure, I've been involved for so long, feel free to put my name in the hat.' I interviewed and now I'm here on the Western board and I'm just excited to share my experience and my perspective with the team."
What is one thing you would tell young girls between the ages of 14-23 who may not be the most confident with networking experience?
"Don't be afraid to ask questions. I think that's really key because even as I've grown in my career and where I am now, I still ask questions. I think understanding we all don't have the answers and it's okay to ask for help. In order to take the next step to Step Up, they have to be willing to ask questions and ask for help."
How has Jenny inspired you? What would your advice be to girls that want to network? Let us know in the comments below!
