The annual OWN IT festival offers a self-care approach to success
By CARLO FALLA — campus@theaggie.org
Davis Women in Business (DWIB) is holding their annual OWN IT festival this Friday, March 6. This event offers a wide variety of activities and resources to empower women and non-binary individuals to pursue their goals, while simultaneously highlighting the importance of self-care and well-being.
OWN IT was created at Georgetown University in 2013 to bring attention to the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, holding conferences to bridge this gap. While OWN IT business conferences for women exist across many institutions, the mental-health-focused festival is unique to Davis and has occurred annually on-campus since its inception in 2023.
DWIB was founded in 2016 and has since become one of the largest professional organizations within UC Davis. They later expanded to create their own chapter of OWN IT, holding their first conference in 2017.
“OWN IT strives to empower the next generation of women and nonbinary individuals to go out and pursue their aspirations to the fullest of their abilities — regardless of race, background, experience or personal struggles,” OWN IT External Affairs Director for DWIB Arianna Kim, a third-year managerial economics major, said.
While targeted toward women and non-binary individuals, this free festival is open to all regardless of gender identity. It will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. on the Memorial Union’s East Quad.
Kim explained that the festival will offer students some reprieve from the quarter system.
“OWN IT Festival is an event that specifically focuses on prioritizing mental health and bringing awareness to wellness,” Kim said. “This is a great opportunity for students to take a break from studying and the stress of week nine and roam the different activities at the East Quad.”
OWN IT Internal Affairs Director Grace Kuang, a third-year managerial economics and communication double major, said that both OWN IT and DWIB have helped her make connections in Davis.
“The OWN IT Festival was created for students by students with the goal of fostering a safe and welcome space on campus,” Kuang said. “When I first joined, I wanted to find a community of like minded individuals and opportunities to grow professionally. DWIB has given exactly that: a supportive, empowering network of incredible women and countless opportunities that have significantly shaped my professional development.”
Some noticeable features of the festival include women-led live entertainment, a marketplace featuring women- and non-binary-owned businesses and workshops including charm-making, bouquet crafting and yoga. There will also be resource booths in which students can learn about wellness programs offered on campus. UC Davis’ K-9 Unit and Lend a Heart, Lend a Hand therapy dogs will also make a guest appearance for attendees to interact with.
“I am really excited to see the dogs and get to pet them,” Kim said. “But ultimately, I look forward to everything coming together. We have worked so hard to put on this festival so it will just be great to see everything to play out.”
Performances include the UC Davis Goldennetes, a Majorette dance team, The Spokes acapella group and the debut of local band Lovejane. Lovejane vocalist Katya Fomin, a first-year master of professional accountancy candidate, said that the OWN IT festival is a cross of her interests.
“I was fortunate to be reached out to about performing, and once I learned more about the mission behind the festival I felt very connected to it,” Fomin said. “As someone currently pursuing a degree through the Graduate School of Management while also being involved in the local music scene for many years, this event feels like a beautiful intersection of communities I care about.”
The Davis OWN IT chapter has an upcoming conference this spring quarter. These conferences differ from the annual festival, offering more career-oriented networking for students to learn about leadership and intersectionality through workshops and discussion.
“[The conference] strives to encourage the young women and nonbinary individuals in our community to learn from role models, cultivate new skills and network with fellow peers,” Kim said.
OWN IT Sponsor Board Associate Aashreeti Deo, a first-year economics and computer science double major, encouraged those interested in the festival to look into DWIB, regardless of their background.
“I think it’s important to mention that the range of majors in DWIB is huge, and it’s not only for women who are business or business-adjacent,” Deo said. “I would really recommend giving it a try and being open to something new, even if your major is completely different, because you never know — you might end up enjoying it more than you think.”
Written by: Carlo Falla — campus@theaggie.org
