As a re-entry student and a mother of four young children, Fresno State accounting major Bianca Perdomo juggles a lot of responsibilities. 

“As a single mother going to school full time, I have to raise my kids, figure out how to provide for them, stay on top of my grades, land an internship and do extracurricular activities,” Perdomo said.

Responsibility doesn’t faze Perdomo, who is a highly successful student — she’s on track to graduate this semester, she’s active in accounting honor society Beta Alpha Psi, she parlayed an internship with an accounting firm into a job offer and she’s modeling academic and career achievement for her children. Through it all, she is grateful for the emotional support, community and mentorship she has received through the Craig School of Business Gender and Leadership (GAL) program.

“I feel like I have a whole village behind me,” Perdomo said. “This program has taught me that people like me, first-generation students, Hispanic females, can become CEOs and executives. GAL taught me how to believe in myself.”

Craig School faculty launched the program in the spring 2024 semester to provide students with the confidence to break gender barriers and pursue leadership positions in their professional careers.

“GAL aims to uplift our students and create a space where they can learn from female community leaders, while arming them with the tools to navigate challenges that are unique to women,” said Dr. Susan Henderson, chair of the Accountancy Department and a Gender and Leadership program faculty coordinator.

The program connects students with experienced female professionals for inspiration, discussion, networking and mentorship. The Gender and Leadership program’s student cohort, open to all business students, regardless of gender, participates in workshops, discussions and networking events throughout the academic year.

Students speak enthusiastically of the support they have received from workshop leaders, community members and each other. “It’s been an amazing way for me to gain insights from professions, and on top of that, I have made a lot more friends,” said Kirsten Martinez, a junior majoring in marketing. “They are like-minded, strong working women and hardworking students. There’s something really empowering about being in a room full of people who genuinely want you to do well.”

Workshop topics have ranged from practical advice on career preparation and finding mentors to personal reflections on the social pressures on women to neglect their own needs.

“The narrative for women is to show up for everybody else at the cost to yourself, because putting everyone else before you is what we should do and putting yourself first is selfish,” said Melissa Crook, host of the FEEL podcast, who spoke to students about the importance of rest, recreation and self-care. “Women need to put ourselves first, prioritizing our wellness. We talked about setting health boundaries around your time and space and looking for workplaces that respect that.”

For Yuliana Franco, a Fresno State alumna and finance professional, the program has offered a chance to give back through mentorship. “I want students to know they have a  place in the business community,” Franco said. “When you see someone who looks like you and has a similar story, it gives you hope. Mentorship is the foundation of success, especially in the minority community, where we might not have a family member who has done this before.”

Several students in the cohort have formed long-term mentoring relationships with professional women participating in the program. Gender and Leadership program faculty hope that as students graduate and new cohorts are recruited, the program will serve as the nucleus for a professional mentoring network uniting current students, recent graduates and working professionals.

The next event, Empower Her 2025, is open to all Fresno State students and will feature guest speaker Dr. Danielle Campagne, chief of emergency medicine at UCSF Fresno and former Top Dog Distinguished Alumna honoree. 

Campagne will speak on her career and personal experiences as a woman in professional leadership. Gender and Leadership program faculty will present an introduction to the program and information on joining the program’s student cohort for the 2025-26 academic year. Empower Her 2025 will take place at 2 p.m. on May 2 at MBA @ Campus Pointe (3006 E. Campus Pointe Dr.).