Alexandra Murray
Supervisor, Programmatic at 360i
Globalization Economics and Business
Q: What attracted you to apply to GW and WLP?
Alex: When I was looking at universities I knew I wanted a city school. I thought that being in on an urban campus with the diverse student body and wide range of interests was something I would really learn from.
And so when I was accepted into GW and the EJS Women’s Leadership program it seems like the perfect fit. If you are accepted into the Women’s Leadership Program, do it. It’s such an honor to be selected to be in the WLP Program, it’s very competitive.
Q: How did WLP support your academic career?
Alex: I came into GW knowing I wanted to study business and the GEB cohort gave me the skills for that track giving me both the confidence and the knowledge. ‘It’s a great thing to be able to be in such a small class, with your GEB cohort, learning economics especially when your peers are in 200 person lecture halls. It really gave me the confidence to pursue business.
Q: What were some of your most meaningful parts about the WLP?
Alex: There is the opportunity that symposium provides to have these amazing groups of speakers every week, and then you get to be a part of a community that pushes you but is really supportive. It is really incredible. One of the other highpoints in my WLP Experience was having the chance to participate in the Mt Vernon College Alumnae Program. It was incredible, my mentor was Kimberly and I had the chance to connect with this amazing person. She was always interested in how I was doing and supporting me. I also had the chance to meet other alumni from Mt Vernon College. I thought it was a really good experience. Female mentorship has always been important to me.
One of the other ways I decided to integrate this mentorship aspect in my GW Career was through a program I founded. With another WLP alumna together we created the GW WYSE Group. The group works with 7th & 8th grade girls to help give them the confidence and support their academic and social growth.
"WLP helped me get over ‘the fear of not knowing’ and gave me the confidence to know that it was ok to ask questions and this is something I have carried through my academic and work career."
-ALEX MURRAY
And then being a part of the WLP Mentorship Program -
Q: Can you tell me about your transition from GW into your professional career?
Alex: I was both a psych and a business major and I was interested in the intersection between the two. When I thought about what I wanted to do for work I thought about the classes that were the most interesting to me and they were my marketing classes. So I decided to follow that interest and I took a job at a startup in Chicago. The job was focused on digital marketing, not something I had studied.
And the job required me to do coding which is not something she came into the field knowing how to do.
Q: Wow, how did you manage a job that required coding when you didn’t come into the role knowing how to do it?
Alex: I asked a lot of questions from my peers and mentors, read things online and eventually, I taught myself to code. In two years time I was about to use the experience I had gained at this job to move into another role in a managerial position. In this role I try to continue to promote growth and mentorship in the women that I supervise and remind them of some of the most important lessons I have learned.
Q: What do you think the keys to your success thus far have been?
Alex: If you don’t know something ask questions, and if you don’t know the answer find a person that does. WLP helped me get over ‘the fear of not knowing’ and gave me the confidence to know that it was ok to ask questions and this is something I have carried through my academic and work career. If you have the confidence to learn and ask questions, you can learn this stuff.