The Young Women’s Alliance is built upon four pillars: Lead, Educate, Network, and Serve. This month, we’re showcasing a different pillar each week, with stories about how our members have taken what they’ve learned in YWA and applied it in their own lives. This week, YWA members Alexandra Brasher and Kaycee Bull talk about how they formed a strong friendship after meeting at their new member orientation event last year.
Making friends in a new city can be tough. Joining YWA is a great way to get to know other like minded women in the Austin area. You might meet your new best friend — just ask Alexandra and Kaycee!
We spoke to them about how YWA brought them together and their advice for making the most out of your YWA membership.
Q: Alexandra, you just moved here pretty recently, right? What brought you to Austin?
Alexandra: Yeah! I moved here from Mississippi on a whim last April, knowing only one person in town. I picked Austin because I didn’t want to be anywhere cold, and I was also looking for a city with well-rounded people. I decided to move before even visiting, and here I am!
Q: That’s a huge transition — how did that go for you?
Alexandra: I work remotely, so it was a really slow integration for me as far as building a community. So, doing what any good Millennial girl would do, I downloaded Bumble BFF to meet some people.
Kaycee: That’s where she found me! I’ve lived in Austin for a few years now, after graduating from Texas State in San Marcos. I was on Bumble BFF looking to make some new friends in town.
Alexandra: Kaycee invited me to meet her at the YWA New Member Information Session last summer. I’d never heard of YWA, but I was very eager to meet new friends and become part of a group focused on women empowering each other. It was the perfect fit. So we ended up joining together that June!
Q: What stood out to you about YWA and encouraged you to join?
Alexandra: I joined to become more involved in the community and meet new people. Especially since I work remotely, I wanted a little more weekly human interaction! At the initial info session, we met some really friendly girls, and it seemed like YWA had the vibe we were looking for.
Kaycee: I really wanted to expand my social and professional circles outside what I’m used to, and become more active in other parts of the Austin community.
Q: What have been some of the ways you’ve gotten involved with YWA since joining?
Kaycee: We’ve each participated in Party of 8, which is an event that connects a group of YWA members over dinner. It’s a great way to meet other members in your area that you may not have met through other activities, and it’s the perfect environment to get to know each other. And we are both involved in YWA Connect, which matches members with mentors to help grow and develop professionally and personally. We were both matched really well with mentors in our respective professional fields.
Alexandra: I get very pumped up about entrepreneurship and mentorship, so the YWA Connect program really excited me! I’ve also participated in the Book Club a few times, and recently started getting involved with the Communications Committee.
Q: What’s been the most rewarding part of YWA for you? — outside of finding each other, of course!
Alexandra: The Connect program has been incredibly rewarding. My mentor is a female founder and CEO of a local marketing firm and won an Austin Under 40 award this past year. Since I’m also in marketing and passionate about entrepreneurship and startups, it just couldn’t have been a better fit. I’ve already benefited so much from her mentorship in the last two months.
Kaycee: YWA has given us an outlet to meet and learn from so many influential people around Austin that I didn’t even know about previously.
Q: For our new members — what’s your best advice for getting the most out of their YWA membership?
Alexandra: My advice would be to really try to show up and socialize. Don’t just come to speaker series, experience all the other amazing activities and opportunities that YWA offers. I have really enjoyed Party of 8, YWA Connect, and the Book Club.
Kaycee: Agree with all of that — show up and be as active as possible. YWA doesn’t force you to come to meetings or events or fundraise! You can choose what’s important to you, but that also means you have to really be present and take the initiative to get involved.
Becoming a Member of YWA
Membership is open throughout the month of January, so sign up today.
