Women Veteran Nonprofit Connects Dallas Students to New Business Opportunities

While some businesses have spent time downsizing and reducing budgets, the VWEC has overcome both financial and social challenges and has continued successfully serving clients. In fact, VWEC’s commitment to the community has increased tenfold, even onboarding an inclusive and diverse team of UT Dallas students.

Filling the Professional Gap

Before the pandemic hit, many university students were lined up with professional experiences, ready to jump-start their careers. Due to COVID-19, many of these students faced delayed internships and volunteer work, with some ultimately being canceled, thus leaving a gap to fill.

VR Small, VWEC’s CEO, recognized this gap and offered student volunteers and interns a once in a lifetime opportunity to help an expanding nonprofit rise above challenges during these tough times.

For the UT Dallas students, this partnership means another chance at gaining invaluable professional working experience from the safety of their homes. Every week, the team gathers together and discusses capacity-building strategies to improve the center. On any other given day, VR Small conducts personal meetings with each student to give one-on-one attention to their performance outcomes that week. Sometimes these meetings have VR and the students meeting up till ten at night. This feat goes to show how committed the VWEC team is to serve their clients!

When asked about her experience with VWEC, Robbie Fernandez, the student volunteer team lead, had his to share: “Working with this organization has been great, and has allowed me to be productive remotely, which has helped with keeping me busy while gaining valuable research experience.”

Working with a Diverse and Inclusive Team

Diversity has become the forefront of many movements and businesses these days. Fortunately for VWEC, its student-lead team incorporates a variety of backgrounds and expertise.

Beginning their work in June, the VWEC student-led team offers experiences ranging from information technology to marketing. There is even a supply chain major in the mix!

Additionally, the UT Dallas students hail from several different cultural backgrounds, bringing in several perspectives and problem-solving strategies.

When asked about the students and their diverse expertise, VR Small, emphasized that “the VWEC, is fortunate to have partnered with students that understand; and emerge from university, where diversity is encouraged and truly reflected in their student population.”

VWEC’s inclusive work culture directly echoes the nonprofit’s values of empowerment, innovation, and proactivity.

Hearing From the Students

The Veteran Women's Enterprise Center is a national initiative designed to help women veteran-owned businesses (WVOBs) scale for success. From its renowned female exclusive co-working space to tailored networking opportunities to a range of critical business support services, VWEC acts as a pillar in the Southern Dallas community, empowering its clients, and now students.

For its UT Dallas interns and volunteers, this gives them the chance to liaise with VWEC’s CEO and manage several projects throughout their partnership. All students work on tight deadlines, with responsibilities such as coordinating purchases, conducting market research, streamline finances, and more.

Each student has tasks designated to them based on their marketing, information technology, or supply chain expertise, ultimately contributing to growth in their career fields.

“Given the current climate,” Maraiah Bangoy, the Public Relations Intern explains, “it’s understandable that companies are downsizing. I’ve even heard from some of my friends that their jobs were rescinded because of the current state of the economy. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to get connected with VR and that VWEC has been able to match the demand for work experience by students.”

Other members of the VWEC team expressed their gratefulness regarding the unique circumstances in which the nonprofit/social enterprise has allowed them to help others.

“Working as a Marketing Intern for the VWEC,” Victor Garcia-Knab explains, “I have the pleasure to help a nonprofit when it needs help most. Even through COVID, we are pushing hard to create a memorable organization.”

Maliha Khan, another student volunteer, details her experience. “Many businesses have taken a hit due to COVID-19 and through the VWEC I’m glad that I can advertise helpful services to those who have selflessly served the country.”

As a whole, the student volunteers and interns are thankful for the support VWEC and its CEO, VR Small, has afforded them. While other students may be scrambling for summer jobs to complete their university requirements, the VWEC student team is stepping up and transforming communities.

Serving those Who Served Us

Oftentimes, women entrepreneurs—and especially women veteran entrepreneurs—are overlooked. Though their businesses are constantly growing, according to a 2007-2012 Survey of Business Owners (SBO) Census Bureau collecting 2007-2012 Survey of Business Owners, the media doesn’t shine enough of a light on this growth.

This is where VWEC has stepped in, not only highlighting women veteran success but contributing to it.

“At VWEC,” VR Small explains, “we’ve built an uplifting community aimed at empowering and serving women who have served in our military and/or are part of our military community. As a female veteran, it is important for me and my team to provide a safe, supportive space for women. When women truly come together there’s an atmosphere of sisterhood, unity, and commitment that creates this air of self-confidence and empowerment—a fragrance that tells the senses anything is possible.”

Furthermore, VR Small and her student-led team are excited to expand VWEC’s impact in Southern Dallas, with consistently reminding them that “by helping our women veteran entrepreneurs become self-sufficient, we ultimately strengthen our family structures, empower our communities, and literally fuel our nation’s economy. We’re not just building businesses—we are transforming lives.”

By: Maraiah Bangoy, Press Relations Intern - July 31, 2020