SWSG is excited to welcome Renata Bule as the new Boston program assistant. Originally from Croatia, Renata grew up in St. Louis, Missouri before attending Simmons College where she became a mentor for SWSG. After graduating college, Renata found her way back to SWSG. We asked her some questions about her experiences with SWSG as a mentor and, now, program assistant.
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How did you first find SWSG? 

I had always been involved with community service before I started at Simmons, so it was one of my top priorities to find some place where I could engage with my community. I met the Chapter Directors of the Simmons chapter at the time, and was so impressed by their passion and dedication to this organization that I had to learn more about it. They asked me really interesting and thought provoking questions so I fell in love with it right away. 

How had your experience with SWSG shape your experiences in college and professionally?
I have learned that I am a mission driven individual, and what motivates me to do my best work is a mission that I strongly identify with. I have learned the reason why community is so important to have around you, and what it means to support another person in enacting social change. I have learned about how much I don’t know about the world and why things are the way they are. I have learned about how to challenge and change something that I feel so deeply grounded in- to know when to draw a line and steer back toward the mission.
What drew you back to SWSG after graduating?

When I left Simmons, it was a hard reality to face that I would also need to leave SWSG. I went home to St. Louis and started another job in an unrelated field. While I was interested in the work I was doing there, I quickly realized that I was left feeling unfulfilled in this role because I didn’t believe in its mission. I reflected on my time with SWSG and remembered what it felt like to do something you whole heartedly believe in and what it was like to do it surrounding by people who believed in it as much as you did and who supported you in it. It was so great to be able to come back and feel excited to go to work every day and be as passionate about the organization as I was when I started. renata

As Renata said, “I’ve learned about the sheer power behind the groups of women I’ve interacted with – how strong they are when they’re together.” We couldn’t agree more!